


Grace of Gray

by Writer_Markilyn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Again Anakin is just trying to make it through his life, Anakin needs love and affection, Bottom Anakin Skywalker, But he doesn't obey Sith lords, Fluff and Smut, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gray!Obi-Wan, Kinda Sith Obi-Wan, Let the poor sad boy be, Lots of unnecessary making out, M/M, Mpreg, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker - Freeform, Obi-Wan being vague and confusing per usual, Obi-Wan is a free independent man who needs no side, Protective Obi-Wan, Slight misuse of the force, The Force works in mysterious ways mmkay???, Top Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Obi-Wan gives it, obikin, random not important OCs, slight slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2018-12-25 03:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12027459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Markilyn/pseuds/Writer_Markilyn
Summary: Anakin stood in the light of the Jedi, but even when he stood there and saw the world and all its people in perfect clarity, he never felt so alone and confused.  He had a wonderful padawan to keep him fighting, had Master Qui-Gon at his side up until he was 19 to teach him everything he knew, and then at 23, he met Obi-Wan, a man trained by both the Jedi and the Sith, but for neither side, who showed him that the world was neither light or dark, but gray.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am such a slow writer and it also depends on how drunk or inspired I am to write a chapter tbh.

_Bare with me, I'll update when I can, I try to post every few weeks or so...._

 

~~~~

Amidst of the sound of explosions, guns firing, people and droids screaming, Obi-Wan could not be bothered in the slightest, he moved with careful grace, cutting through droids, Jedi, villagers; anyone who stood in his way of the warzone as he tried to cut a path to the village leader of all these five-foot villagers that were mostly green and blue and had bird faces, feathered bodies of humans, and reptilian eyes; their blood ran purple and they made the most jarring noises when they were shot or cut down.

Obi-Wan Force leapt to a woven nest in a dead tree, it was exotically decorated, he knew this was the village leader’s home, his crimson lightsaber cut down the two guards standing in front of the curved wooden door and it caved easily when he brought his booted foot into it.

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan’s cruel smile caused the elder leader to squawk in fear, scrabbling backwards, his withered fingers shaking as he held purchase on the desk he used as a barrier.  Obi-Wan walked forward, the tip of his lightsaber cut easily into the wooden ground, causing smoke to rise and a musky scent followed after.  “Do not take this personally, but it was your young brother who requests your head,” Obi-Wan informed him.

“Jayak?” the leader gapped in disbelief.

At Obi-Wan mission giver’s name, he nodded, “Terribly sorry, but an older sibling, you should know, are mostly likely to die when it comes to power,” he twirled his lightsaber in his hand, “but not that this information is going to benefit you much longer,” Obi-Wan snarled and lunged.

“Enough!”

Obi-Wan felt his attack freeze and felt himself being shoved into a wooden wall that half caved from impact.  He quickly righted himself and kept himself at a crouch, his lightsaber in front of him in a blocking position as he gazed down a young man with bewitching blue eyes and dark blonde hair that reminded him of a lion’s mane.

“Sith,” Blue-eyed beauty snarled, eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Mm, no, young Jedi,” Obi-Wan glanced at the bright blue ‘saber before looking back at the golden skinned young man.

“Fine, but it doesn’t matter what you are, you’re trying to murder this village’s leader,” the Jedi hissed.  He stepped forward and barely had time to block the attack from the older man, their lightsabers clashed, hissing and sparks igniting between them, the hues of their lightsabers danced off each other’s faces.

“My, my, red would be _such_ a lovely color on you,” Obi-Wan mused, he felt the younger man back off and slid back to put space between them, but ultimately became the divider between him and his target.

It was a brief stand off before they both jumped at each other, slashing, blocking, turning away in feint attacks, Obi-Wan chuckled when the younger man fought dirty, trying to sucker punch him in the gut while he was distracted.  He kicked low, sweeping the Jedi’s long, limber legs out from under him, but he quickly log-rolled away and ended up in a crouch before leaping at Obi-Wan again.

“I haven’t had a challenge like this is a long time, how refreshing this is,” Obi-Wan praised; he was only a little out of breath, he drank in the sight of the handsome man before him, hair disheveled, a couple beads of sweat formed on his exposed neck that raced down to be absorbed into the collar of his tunic, and Obi-Wan was fascinated that this man was a raw force of untamed energy.

The Jedi swung, his attack was parred again before he found himself on his back, his attacker above him, he went to Force shove the auburn-haired man off him, but his wrists were pinned down by the other’s Force and his blue lightsaber was knocked from his hand.

“Young, fierce, and dangerous,” Obi-Wan praised, the words being caressed with his accent.  “What a wonderful gift you are, you could be taught more, I know you could master every technique given to you, making people fall before you, getting what you want,” he continued, walking around the squirming Jedi in a slow circle while his hands were clasped behind his back, but his eyes never left the Jedi.  “But,” Obi-Wan sighed in mock sorrow, “that is no life of a Jedi, they would deem you to have Fallen and would be the enemy of the Council,” Obi-Wan’s hazel eyes flashed a bright orange for a second in his anger.

“What do you want?” the Jedi spat.

“I am here to collect my target’s head and be on my merry way,” Obi-Wan’s predatory gaze flickered over the village’s leader, who still trembled in fear in the corner, afraid that he would have been diced up during the fight.  Obi-Wan paused by the Jedi’s head, “You are not my target; therefore, I do not have to kill you,” he knelt down next to the Jedi, he chided him for the vicious growl, “A true warrior you are, but much you have to learn.  I look forward to our next meeting, Blue Eyes” Obi-Wan crooned and placed his knuckles gently on Anakin’s forehead.  “Rest, now,” he murmured and immediately, the Jedi had fallen lax; Obi-Wan was half tempted to take the unconscious young man with him, but he already had enough baggage to carry.  He stood and ignited his lightsaber again and stalked towards his target.

The bird-man’s head was taken off before he could even screech in fear.

“ _—Ster!  Skyguy!”_

Anakin groaned softly, coming back to the world of the awake when he heard a distinctive voice of his very scared Padawan’s voice yelling his name and shaking him hard enough that he thought his shoulder was dislocated.

“Master Anakin?” Ahsoka asked again, patting Anakin’s cheek with sharp slaps; she smiled faintly when Anakin swatted at her hand.  She looked up at Rex and Kix, who stood on either side of her, “I think he’s going to be okay,” she nodded to the medic clone, who instantly took his cue to kneel next to Anakin, and checked the vitals he could get without the majority of his medical supplies.

“Snips, are you okay?” Anakin’s voice was raspy; nothing hurt too much, besides his back and he felt like his head was filled with cotton. 

“I’m okay,” Ahsoka reassured him.  “What happened?” her blue eyes slid over to the headless corpse of the village’s leader.

“There was a sith…or bounty hunter, I’m not sure what he was,” Anakin turned his head away from the tiny flashlight Kix was waving slowly in front of his eyes.

“You’re not concussed, Sir,” Kix said, clicking the light off, “but I would much prefer to have you back on the ship so I can get a proper scan of you.”

“I’m fine,” Anakin grunted, lifting himself to his feet, but he was thankful that Rex lingered close by in case he stumbled.  He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to will away the grogginess that was left behind, “The guy who was here, he used a lightsaber and he had the Force,” he told his crew.

“So…he was a Sith Lord?” Ahsoka asked him.

“I’m not certain, I thought he was, but he looked pissed off that I called him a Sith,” Anakin responded.  “If he is one, he was merciful,” his choice of words caused him to grimace, “well…at least towards me.”

Ahsoka folded her arms across her chest, “Did you catch his name?”

“There wasn’t exactly time to exchange pleasantries,” Anakin dryly answered.  “There’s a job to be done, I did overhear some of the conversation, his brother,” Anakin briefly looked over to the corpse, “put a bounty on him and the bounty hunter guy came here to collect what was asked of him.”

“Prince Jayak is stationed in Palazaya,” Rex informed Anakin.

Anakin nodded to him, thanking him, “Then we better go catch a bad egg.”

Ahsoka didn’t even muffle her groan of disgust, while the two clones turned their heads away in shame.

As Anakin led the way down from the treehouse, he was met with other troops and other Jedi, he listened to their reports and viewed the damage; there had been some losses regarding with property and villagers and Anakin knew Windu was going to have an aneurysm with his own report.

“Ahsoka, you’re coming with me to Palazaya to help me catch Jayak and hopefully catch the bounty hunter, Master Plo will stay here with the troops to deal with the aftereffects and see if there’s any lingering Separatists waiting for orders for an additional attack,” Anakin listed off.  He turned towards the makeshift camp that had been built along the edges of the ruined village, “I need to make a report to Master Windu, but we’ll leave soon after,” he told Ahsoka.

Ahsoka nodded before parting from her Master’s side to go help any strugglers.

Anakin pushed the flap of the tent door aside and put his comm on a wooden box before messaging Mace Windu.

“This is Mace Windu.  General Skywalker?”

Anakin watched his hologram crackle briefly before responding, “Yes, Master Windu, I’ve come to report…the damages.”

Mace nodded at him to continue.

“There were many losses, so I’ve been told…the village’s leader has been killed as well; executed and his head taken by a bounty hunter employed by the leader’s younger brother, Jayak,” Anakin informed Mace.  He tucked his arms into cloak sleeves, “Ahsoka and I are heading to Palazaya to apprehend Jayak and hopefully the bounty hunter.”

Windu hummed before looking off the side, most likely Yoda was there with him.  He nodded at the given information, “Anything additional with this bounty hunter?”

“He’s…very different, he has the Force, he wields a lightsaber; he’s been trained,” Anakin replied.  “He looks no older than 30, auburn hair, bearded, he had Sith eyes when expressing anger,” Anakin listed off.  He was puzzled why the unnamed Sith/bounty hunter could even control what color his eyes were, he thought that once you took an innocent life, your eyes remained bright and cruel with different shades of fire.

“Be wary, you must,” Yoda chimed in.  “Uncertain of this enemy, we are.  New to us, he is.”

“If the Sith…bounty hunter, whatever he is, appears where Jayak is, I will pursue him,” Anakin stated.  “He’s strong with the Force; he can’t be left unchecked.”

“Report later tonight, Skywalker,” Windu stated.  “Do not do anything rash,” even through the poor signal, his warning glare was there that had Anakin cheekily smiling.

“ _Me_ acting rash?  Master, I would never,” Anakin snickered, he heard Yoda’s amused hum and Windu’s exasperated sigh.  “I will follow up tonight,” he concluded, bowing his head before cutting the transmission.

Ahsoka turned when she sensed Anakin’s presence and she nodded to the troop she had been talking to before walking up to him, “Are we leaving?” she asked.

“Yes, are there any Speeders available?” Anakin’s searching gaze raked over the perimeter, looking for something a little less inconspicuous than having his fighter jet come soaring in the town. 

“This way,” Ahsoka nodded towards the left.  “R2 will be watching our jets until we come back; he’s not very happy being left behind,” she sighed, remembering how the droid had popped off in anger.  She looked back at Anakin, who still had a slight glazed look in his eyes, “Master, are you sure that you should be doing this?  What if the bounty hunter did something to you?  You were under a deep Force sleep, I almost couldn’t undo it,” she frowned; usually only those were used if the Jedi had to come back and collect the person if they were unable to do it on their mission from the start and a shiver rolled through her at the thought of Anakin being taken far away and tortured.

“I’m okay, Snips,” Anakin reassured her, feeling her nervousness.  “He…was very different that’s for certain; he fought like a trained Jedi and from Sith Masters too, but the odd thing was, he wasn’t fighting back to kill me, rather just push me off to the side,” he explained.  “But, I’m not writing any of his actions off if he was the reason why the Separatists’ droids were also here...he could have been with Dooku, even if he was doing a bounty job as well,” Anakin’s head hurt and he longed to crawl into his bed and sleep, but he had a job to do first.

Ahsoka could feel Anakin’s tiny amount of annoyance bubbling and he usually kept his true feelings locked away from being felt in their bond, as he didn’t want to burden her with all the emotional backlash from his inner turmoil.

They both got a Speeder and headed towards the populated town that had towering stone walls with ivy growing alongside the chalky stone, it was much more flourish here than at the semi-destroyed village that was hidden in the thicket of vines and tall trees, help from this town would have been useless as the guards from there would have undoubtfully fumbled around and gotten lost or died in the straying crossfire.

Anakin parked his Speeder on the outside of the town, Ahsoka did the same, they both kept their hoods down, as being mysterious tended to draw more attention than not and mostly everyone in this large town were quite friendly with clean records.

Ahsoka let her eyes wander, looking more touristy than scanning around the area looking for the brother of the dead leader or even a shady looking person; Anakin hadn’t described what the man had looked like and she didn’t feel his Force signature either, so he clearly had treated it like a stealth mission even though it was in the middle of a warzone.

Anakin spotted the brother, he stood with other people from his village, a peculiar black bag was near the foot of his seat and he calmly strode forward, Ahsoka immediately trailing after, “Prince Jayak,” Anakin nodded to him.

“Jedi Skywalker, good to see that you made it out alive, yes?” Jayak said, he looked among his other relatives.  “This is the good man who came to save our village!”

A young girl from Anakin could tell, her feathers were indigo, she barely came up to his waist, “You saved him, our brother?  He sent us all away when he heard that there was going to be war at our home,” her beak trembled slightly. 

“I regret to inform you…but King Adalia did not make it through the battle,” Anakin murmured.  “There had been an assassin there amongst the battle.”

“At least our brother did not suffer,” Jayak said, his four other siblings all in distraught.  “It was a quick death, his head swept from his shoulders, there would be no suffering.”

Ahsoka quirked an eyebrow, “We never said how King Adalia died.”

“That is how all assassins do their kills, yes?” Jayak hastily questioned, the mane of feathers that rested around his shoulders ruffled slightly.

“Prince Jayak, is there something you would like to share?” Anakin calmly asked, his posture unthreatening.

Jayak’s siblings looked at him with suspicious glares.

“Do you think that I had something to do with this?” Jayak demanded.

“Brother,” the third eldest spoke from his spot, “you were never fond of Adalia, you always deemed him weak.”

“I would never wish him dead, how dare you?!” Jayak squawked in anger.

“Prince Jayak, if I may,” Anakin gestured to the black bag at the man’s clawed feet, “I couldn’t help but feel a remaining presence from that bag…your brother’s signature, if you would allow me, I could try to trace it to the assassin.”

“This is my brother’s bag that’s why you would feel his presence, now leave me, I wish to grieve alone,” Jayak snapped.

“Brother, a man in dark gray robes brought you this bag,” the indigo-feathered sister said.

Anakin’s attention was focused, “Did you see where he happened to go?” he asked them.

The same sister gestured towards a bar, “He said that if my brother had any additional requests to ask for him there.”

“Ahsoka, I trust that you can handle the rest,” Anakin asked.

“Of course,” Ahsoka’s stern face turned towards Jayak, who was stammering on.

Anakin hastily headed towards the bar, he tightly reined in his aura, but he assumed the unnamed hunter would know that he was there by now.  He came into the dimly lit bar, slow classical music came from built in the wall speakers, the smell of rich cigars and fruity hookah scents wafted around him, leaving a slight haze in front of him; his head still hurt and this wasn’t helping, but he powered through it.

“Ah, Bilzer, please understand that I am not taking any missions of right now, I have just completed another…yes, yes, I understand this can inconvenience your plans to sabotage your true love’s marriage.”

Anakin heard the accented voice from a booth, he saw that he was engaged in a conversation over a hologram transmission.

“Bilzer, please excuse me, I have another matter to attend,” the hunter stated and curtly ended the call, his back remained to Anakin as he took a sip of his wine before speaking.  “Are you going to stand there all night, Jedi, or are you going to sit and have a drink?” the auburn-haired man smiled easily over his shoulder, gesturing to the empty booth across from him.

Anakin calmed himself; he couldn’t draw a scene, let alone a fight, so he silently took the seat across from him, “You killed an innocent man,” was the first thing he said.

“Good to see you again too, even if it’s been only a few hours,” the hunter mused, swirling his drink carefully.

“Enough with the games,” Anakin hissed, his hands clenching into fists.  “Your supplier has been busted and undoubtfully he’ll rat you out too, now, tell me, who are you and how do you know the ways of the Jedi?” he demanded and tried not to become extra annoyed when the bounty hunter looked at him endearingly, as if he said something affectionate.

“It wouldn’t matter anyway,” the older man sighed, waving a hand and gave a quick flick of the wrist.

Anakin blinked in shock, feeling Jayak’s life signature flicker out immediately, he felt himself frozen to his seat by the sheer power the hunter emitted.  He would never say it or even admit it to himself, but he was afraid, afraid of that cruel smirk that danced away just as quickly as it came across the hunter’s face, the way his calm hazel eyes became bright like fire, and the way he wanted to learn to harness these abilities.

“To answer your questions, my name is Obi-Wan, I know the Jedi methods because I had been a Jedi,” Obi-Wan stated matter-of-factly.


	2. Chapter 2

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan with strict disbelief, “There’s no way that you’re a Jedi, or the fact that you were one,” he stated firmly.  He could feel Ahsoka’s panic of what had just happened and he tried to calm her, telling her that everything was fine and to stay _very_ far away from the bar that he was in.

Obi-Wan arched an elegant eyebrow, “Is it so hard for you to believe that Jedi can be corrupt?  Or let alone…self-aware?  I am not terribly fond of Count Dooku, but surely you have heard that he left the Jedi to become a Sith Lord.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of his Fall,” Anakin murmured; he subconsciously gripped at the leather glove that hid his metal arm.  “He killed my former Master,” Anakin wasn’t for sure why he had to share this information with Obi-Wan.

“Qui-Gon Jinn,” Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes had softened back to their normal hazel hue.  “Respectable man, he had always been level headed and strong spirited.”

“You knew him?” Anakin was curious to know.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded, giving no more, but his eyes swept over Anakin in a new light, in slight recognition.  “Anakin Skywalker?” he asked carefully.

Anakin gave a hesitant nod, “You’re familiar with me?”

“Not so much, but I’ve vaguely heard about you,” Obi-Wan stated.  “You had slain Darth Maul and challenged General Grievous, destroying all plans of his, you’ve got a track record,” he praised him.  He felt the praise lift Anakin’s spirts, which caused a spark in the strong Force that was wove around Anakin thicker than any armor; his interests could not be silenced, “Are you truly born from the Force?” Obi-Wan leaned forward, his eyes sparkled a little and had a small inquiring grin on his face.

Anakin’s cheeks reddened at being called out in a not negative way for once, but quickly schooled himself; he was dealing with an enemy, “That is none of your concern,” he grumbled.

“Feisty, aren’t you?” Obi-Wan mused.  He sipped his wine before looking Anakin over once more, “Shame that you’re so faithful to your Jedi Order…I know you’d make a fine apprentice.”

“So you are a Sith,” Anakin bristled, moving to stand, but Obi-Wan waved his hand and was sat back down; the Force rippled through him soothingly, telling him not to be afraid, but Anakin wasn’t for sure if he could trust it right now.

“No, I am not a Sith, but I was trained by Count Dooku for a short amount of time,” Obi-Wan calmly explained, “but I do not follow their ways, I am my own person, I do what I believe to be necessary.”

Anakin resisted the urge to scoff at that statement, “What’s your game then, Obi-Wan?” he questioned.  “You have to have some motive, you’re a former Jedi…not a Sith, but had the training from one, and you do bounties?”

“There is no game, Anakin, I do what I must to survive,” Obi-Wan simply stated.  “I don’t associate myself as an ally of the Jedi, nor am I part of the Sith…I’m in a gray area.”

“Gray area…right,” Anakin muttered.  “Then murdering a leader was just a normal day for you?”

“No, because as you said, I do bounties, I do jobs to earn credits…in a less boring way,” Obi-Wan responded.  He finished his drink, “Now what do you plan to do, take me in to your Council to have them judge me?  If I returned now, they’ll think they’re seeing a ghost!  Well…a much older ghost.”

“You were trained by them, why did you leave?” Anakin asked, trying to understand why Obi-Wan would have Fallen in the first place.

“It was by my own free will,” Obi-Wan said gently, “the Force spoke to me and I listened; I trusted the Force, though some of its ways are questionable, they always have a reason.”

“What do you suppose this reason was?” Anakin inquired.

“To meet you,” Obi-Wan easily answered.  He chuckled lightly at the confused blink from the younger male, “I saw you in a vision.”

“Why would the Force tell you to Fall if we could have been better acquainted as Jedi?” Anakin was puzzled. 

“It works in mysterious ways,” Obi-Wan easily smiled, watching the unamused expression filter across Anakin’s face.  “I can quote the former Masters I once trained under.”

“Yes, but quoting the _Grand Master_ Yoda will do you no favors,” Anakin responded a little sharply.

“Yes, but you cannot lie to me and say that you do not imitate them as well,” Obi-Wan mused.  He sighed, rolling his shoulders, “I’ve chatted for much too long, it seems.  I can feel Master Plo in the distance, his worry for your padawan is almost nauseating.”

“Your entwinement with the Force is strong,” Anakin murmured, a flicker of worry ran through him.

“Worry not, young one,” Obi-Wan said in his silkiest of tones, watching Anakin immediately relax, whether he was aware of it or not, “I do not seek war if it can be avoided, I do not harm if I’m not being threatened, I will only hunt when it’s required, I will not harm you or your padawan.”

“Even if there’s a bounty on us?” Anakin asked.  He wondered if Obi-Wan was using some Force maneuver on him, he did not feel worry, he did not feel the usual stress, he simply felt calm, even though this man had just killed again minutes ago.

“I’ll never hurt a brother in arms, even if I stand on a different side of your playing field,” Obi-Wan reassured him.  “I know you will have to report to your grandmasters, you may give them my name; I know you are faithful to them, but I can sense your doubt if you were to put the light on my name, but they can do nothing for my fate, as to them, I am dead.”

“Dead?” Anakin echoed, only picking up the last bit of Obi-Wan’s statement.

“Another time, young one,” Obi-Wan dismissed.  He rose and dropped a few credits on the table, his eyes met Anakin’s still curious ones, but he simply smiled and directed a soft mental order for Anakin not to follow, he felt the conflict race through Anakin; it was clear the young Jedi was not used to having the Force openly obey others as easily as it did with him.

Anakin could only watch him leave the bar, still stunned with the information he processed and he felt the unseen force lift from him and he was darting out the bar and into the bright sun, a cool breeze ruffled his hair as he scouted the area, but Obi-Wan was nowhere to be found.

“Master!”

Anakin turned when he heard Ahsoka call for him, his young padawan looked stricken with worry as she ran to him, Master Plo following in slower steps, as he knew there was not a rush now. 

“Prince Jayak, he’s—his neck, _he’s dead!_ ” Ahsoka said quickly.  “I don’t know what happened!  I didn’t feel any other Force besides mine and yours, but yours was faded, like you had been subdued, but I couldn’t get to you because of Jayak’s immediate death and a presence that told me to stay away,” she frowned.

“Yes, extremely odd these occurrences were,” Master Plo said, turning to face Anakin.  “Do you think it was the bounty hunter?”

“It was,” Anakin said, “His name is Obi-Wan,” he turned to directly face Master Plo, who stiffened at that name.  “Are you familiar with that name?”

“He…has passed on and became one with the Force,” Master Plo said, uneasy with Anakin’s statement.

“It’s an unusual name, do you _really_ think that there just so happens to be a bounty hunter with the skillset of a Jedi running about?” Anakin asked, folding his arms across his chest.  “Master Plo, you’re smarter than this, Obi-Wan knows that the Council thinks he’s dead, but he isn’t.”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi is dead and we had Qui-Gon Jinn’s word to confirm it,” Master Plo said.

“Was there a body?” Anakin asked.

Master Plo kept silent.

“Obi-Wan told me the Force told him to Fall, so he did, but he’s…much different than from other Sith,” Anakin informed him.  He sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose, as his head was starting to feel heavy again, “Master Plo, if you don’t mind, could we continue this conversation another time?  I do not feel well.”

“It was Obi-Wan who did this to you,” Ahsoka reminded him, her blue eyes were sharp, daring Anakin to defend Obi-Wan, or excuse it.

“You’re not wrong,” Anakin admitted defeat. 

“There is a small inn located at the end of this district, retire there for tonight, we will return to Coruscant in the morning,” Master Plo directed him.  “Ahsoka, you deserve rest as well, the remaining Jedi and I will handle the mishaps here.”

Together, Anakin and Ahsoka made their way to the inn that Master Plo had pointed them to and they both took a room, as their host as generous to let them stay the night for free, as they had helped the owner of the hotel.

Anakin took a quick shower as he felt himself nodding off in there and dried off, only pulling his boxers back on before falling face first into the soft bed; he was out within minutes.

~~~~

“ _Oh, Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed, easing himself back into Anakin’s willing body, who let out a happy sigh from under Obi-Wan.  He lightly nuzzled Anakin’s damp temple, “So good for me,” he praised, rocking his hips against Anakin’s steadily._

_Anakin let out a soft moan, arching his back, his nails dug into the sheets under him as he panted out Obi-Wan’s name.  He shivered pleasantly as Obi-Wan’s beard scratched against his neck, moving up until he had Obi-Wan’s lips over his own, “Please, Obi-Wan,” Anakin pleaded softly when he had turned his head away, panting softly._

_Obi-Wan smiled, his fingers dug into Anakin’s left lean thigh, hiking it up higher up his hip, fucking deeper into Anakin, earning a high keen from his beloved, “Is this better, my darling?” he asked, his thrusts never faltering, he earned soft whines, gasps, and cries from Anakin with every calculated thrust he gave.  He let out a soft groan of his own when Anakin’s nails scratched down his back, “Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan crooned, “I could have you every day at any hour and never tire.”_

_Anakin let out a shuddery sigh when he came, Obi-Wan rocking into him one last time before releasing into Anakin, they both let out satisfied moans, Anakin carefully pulled Obi-Wan back down to rest over him, he kissed him slowly, his eyes were heavily lidded, “I love you.”_

_“And I, you,” Obi-Wan smiled sleepily, going back for another kiss._

_~~~~_

Anakin shot awake, panting, his body shivered from the phantom lust that lingered.  He felt too hot, his own skin felt like it was suffocating him and he pushed himself outside to the balcony, where the chilly night air raced over his overheated body, chilling him almost instantly.

He stared out over the town, torches lit up on street poles, casting dancing shadows along the stone walls of buildings, not a soul in sight during this clear, starry night, but Anakin assumed that it was of the early hours of the morning.  Anakin rested his hands on the stone railing, his fingers dug into the stone, grounding himself as he willed himself to relax; he had to be clear minded when he had to report to Master Windu and Master Yoda at a decent time.

Anakin exhaled slowly, his breath slightly visible in the air; he lowered his head, closing his eyes.  He ended up sitting down on the concrete under his bare feet, the city to his back, he relaxed his shoulders and fell into a light meditation, just to center himself, let the Force pool through him like a steady, cool current, and let his mind drift away.

Ahsoka woke a little after the sun had risen; she could feel her master’s presence in the distance, it wasn’t dulled in the back as if he were sleeping, it was awake and from the stream of it, Anakin had been awake for some time.

She quickly got ready for the new day before going to Anakin’s room and she quietly let herself in, the balcony glass doors were open, the sheer curtains waved lazily inside from the morning breeze; she averted her gaze when she saw that he was only in his undergarments, and she cleared her throat.

Anakin slowly opened his eyes, feeling the uneasiness coming from his padawan, his cheeks reddened to be caught almost completely undressed, “Ahsoka!” Anakin chided, refusing to budge, but was grateful that she had turned her back to him to give him privacy.

“Sorry, Master, I thought you were ready to leave,” Ahsoka explained, talking to the door.

Anakin quickly snatched his folded clothes from the chair next to his bed and then hastily pulled on his black Jedi outfit, his face was still red, but luckily his face was still tanned and Ahsoka couldn’t see his embarrassment, but she could probably feel traces of it in their mentor/apprentice bond.

Anakin cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest, but refused to look at her in the eye, “Master Plo and I will speak with the Council, make sure that the fallen king’s siblings are safely back with their village and remain there until we arrive and then we’ll depart.”

Ahsoka nodded before quickly leaving.

Anakin let out a soft exhale, his shoulders slumped as he left his room and headed downstairs to the wide-open café that connected to an outside patio that had open glass doors, more sheer curtains that were the same shade of blue from his room blew lazily inside, the tables closest to the lightly waving curtains were vacant, most of the people were by the wide circular windows or outside on the connecting patio, taking in the soft sunlight, Anakin took a small plate of freshly sliced fruit and some juice before going outside and took went to a small table in the furthest corner, mostly away from the other inn customers, he ignored when he felt multiple eyes sweeping over him with an appreciative glance.

He sat at the table, lost in thought; he tried to shield away the vivid memory that had his cheeks warming and his stomach flipping in desire; Anakin hastily shook his head and pointedly focused on his food, he was so distracted, he didn’t sense Master Plo approach him with a light breakfast of his own.

“Master Skywalker,” Master Plo greeted the young man before sitting across from him.

The first thing Anakin wondered and still wondered, even when he had been a padawan, was how Master Plo ate.  Anakin blinked and nodded respectfully, “Good morning.”

“You seem troubled,” Plo stated.  He was uncertain if it was because of the discovery of the possible Obi-Wan Kenobi was believed to be dead, or the village incident, or both…so he went with the village instead, as he didn’t want to wonder too long on the death of Obi-Wan.

Before Anakin could think of an excuse Master Plo continued on.

“If it’s about the former king’s death, do not drag yourself, as not all missions are successful, if anything, you did not fail this mission,” Master Plo stated.  “Had his sacrifice not happened, his brother’s true self would have not been exposed and the innocent king would have been killed without his murderer being pulled into the light.”

“Thank you, Master Plo, for your kind words,” Anakin murmured, placing his hands in his lap; his appetite wasn’t present anymore, as he felt guilty for not being truthful, but he’d also would feel even worse about telling the honest truth why he was feeling lost and confused.

“You’re a good Jedi, Anakin,” Master Plo reminded him, seeing the flicker of self-doubt from the young man; he had a fond place for Anakin as he did Ahsoka.  He sat a little straighter, “For our report, we should return to the village and depart from there.  It would make things quicker.”

“Agreed,” Anakin nodded.  He checked his comm, “I will go ahead and meet Ahsoka at the village and make sure that everything is okay,” Anakin informed the elder. 

“I will meet you there shortly,” Master Plo stated and bowed his head to the young Jedi when Anakin had bowed to him before departing.

Anakin grabbed his plate that only had a couple pieces left, he felt bad for being wasteful, but he still was slightly hung up on his dream.  He wiped off the fruit and place his cup and plate in the black rubber box that had other dishes in it and left the inn, after giving thanks to the owner.

He found his Speeder still in the same place he left it and took off towards the village, even though he figured speeding away, Anakin thought his mind would be clear, but apparently not.  Anakin wondered what the deeper meaning was, he could acknowledge that Obi-Wan was an attractive male, he tried to ignore the details, but his brain listed it off anyway, how he enjoyed listening to the other man’s clear accent, the way his wavy auburn hair was lightly styled, his stormy grey-green eyes took in everything like an apex predator, the confident air he brought with him, along with comfort of an old friend, and the aura of a free man to do anything he wanted on his own terms; he served no Master, he had no higher council to bend to, he was open to emotion, and he had the strength to prove that he needed no guidance.

Anakin _yearned_ to have those traits, as he was mostly seen as a trophy for the public, he had slight control of his emotions, but he still got the disapproving stares from his grandmasters, and most of all, he wasn’t free; he still had to obey the Council and _their_ Order that Anakin hated with a fiery passion.

There was slight comforting caress at the back of his mind that had Anakin swerve slightly.  Anakin jerkily looked around, but he didn’t see a Force-Sensitive figure within sight.  He shook his head, telling himself to calm down and that he was working himself up for nothing.

He arrived at the village too quickly when Anakin realized that he had been lost in thought once again; Anakin wondered if that was going to be his downfall, crashing his Speeder into a tree because he was daydreaming; at least he would have lived up to his reckless nature.

Anakin hopped off his Speeder and approached the center of the village, where he saw Ahsoka speaking with the new leader, Anakin remembered him being the third eldest of the five.

Ahsoka turned slightly when she sensed Anakin nearby and nodded kindly to him when Anakin joined the group, “Master Anakin, this is Chief Kovu, he will be taking over.”

“Apologies for not catching your name last night,” Anakin said to the blue-orange feathered humanoid.

Kovu dismissed it with a wave of his talon like hand, “It troubles me not, Master Jedi.  I know that you were after the bounty hunter who murdered our brother…and our traitor second brother.”

“Were you able to apprehend the bounty hunter?” it was the same youngest female from the night before.

“His Force Signature was no longer there, he must have passed on through and escaped through the back,” Anakin regretted lying, but he couldn’t exactly say that he had actually chatted up the former Jedi and let him go freely despite the deeds he had committed.

Ahsoka even shot him a confused look before schooling her expression.

“Worry not, if his only goal was what Jayak wanted, then we should hopefully be fine for the near future,” Kovu tittered, his mane of feathered ruffled slightly before lying smooth again.  “Thank you for your help,” he bowed his head to Anakin and Ahsoka, Kovu’s remaining siblings mirrored him before they dismissed themselves from the Jedi.

Ahsoka immediately whipped around to face her master, “How did he get away?”

“Ahsoka, he’s a powerful Force user,” Anakin grumbled, hating to admit that Obi-Wan had slipped away again.  “He told me he had been trained in the Temple and then from the Sith, but now, he roams free.”

Ahsoka stared at him with disbelief, “What did Master Plo say?”

“I did not mention my encounter with Obi-Wan again to Master Plo this morning, he is convinced that Obi-Wan is dead and I wasn’t about to start an argument in a pubic area,” Anakin sighed.  He saw that his padawan was about to argue with him and he spoke first, “Master Plo is coming here and we’ll report to the Council and then we’re leaving, there’s nothing else to speak about, Ahsoka.”

“Are you sure Obi-Wan hasn’t done something to your head, because you’re being incredibly impassive about this whole thing,” Ahsoka huffed and left Anakin alone.

 _Truthfully, I don’t know, Snips._   Anakin thought again he felt his shoulders relax when the same caress of affection wafted over him, briefly encasing him in solid comfort and he couldn’t even process why he was feeling this way, or who was doing this to him.

He swayed lightly and startled when he felt a firm hand on his back and he turned and saw that Master Plo was silently looking at him, Anakin couldn’t exactly gauge his expression due to his mask, but from the slight tilt of his head, Anakin guessed the older Master was curious or worried.

“Master Skywalker, perhaps it would be in your best interest to head to Coruscant, you do seem still unwell,” Master Plo stated.  “And perhaps visit the healers while you’re there.”

Anakin wanted to protest, but he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him and Master Plo had to stop him from collapsing, “What the kriff is wrong with me?” he hissed, shutting his eyes to stop the world from tilting.

Kix was over to them before Master Plo had steadied Anakin over to a mat under the shade of a lush tree.  He had his medical bag on the ground and open, “Sir, can you explain what happened?”

“I was standing and then I wasn’t,” was Anakin’s vague response, he bowed his head to stop the swaying from taking over, he could feel Master Plo’s warm hand on his shoulder, a trickle of the older Jedi’s Force was tingling through him, trying to see what the issue is.  “It has to be Obi-Wan,” Anakin whispered.

Master Plo’s shoulders tensed, but he did not say anything.

Kix merely looked confused at the name he did not recognize as he checked the scanner over Anakin’s vitals.  He hummed softly, “General Skywalker, you seem to be running a slight fever and exhaustion, are you having any additional pain anywhere?”

“My back is sore, but I figured that was from being thrown to the ground,” Anakin grumped.  He allowed Master Plo and Kix to help him up when Kix deemed it safe for Anakin to stand, he suddenly had Rex next to him, he took Master Plo’s place.

“Take Master Skywalker back to Coruscant and to the healers, he needs to be looked over immediately,” Master Plo instructed Rex and Kix.

“Yes, Sir,” the two clones nodded.

“I’m fine, I don’t—”

“Anakin,” Master Plo cut him off, looking stern, “you are overly exhausted and in some type of pain your Force is unable to heal, which is disturbing in its own as your Force count could close a wound in moments after it happened; you need to be looked over.”

Anakin felt like a padawan again, “Fine,” he sighed, “don’t have too much fun reporting to the Council…I’ll see you and Ahsoka later,” Anakin told the other Jedi and then started a careful walk with Kix and Rex assisting him.

“Rarely does anything get you down, General,” Rex said carefully.  “Are Jedi prone to illness?”

“No, the Force keeps simple sicknesses away, I’m uncertain what the issue is,” Anakin sighed.  He felt a little better when he was sitting down in the jet cruiser, the dim light and noticeable temperature difference helped him too.  Anakin sighed and rested his head back against the padded seat he had been placed in, he heard Kix walking around the makeshift medical station in the slightly spacious space cruiser before the footsteps back to him; Anakin opened his eyes slightly in question.

“General, would you allow me to run a blood test?” Kix ask, holding a small white rectangle.

“Is there something that you’re worried about?” Anakin asked.

“Just being thorough, Sir,” Kix replied.  He pricked the end of Anakin’s finger, the blood filled the clear side of the white rectangle up quickly and before he could wrap the digit he had collected the blood sample from, Anakin just wiped it on his tunic and ignored the slight glare Kix gave him.

Anakin gave Kix a pointed look, who didn’t look anywhere near Anakin as he did the blood work.  He exhaled when Kix continued to ignore him, the Jedi glanced to Rex, who simply shrugged at him.

“You ought to rest, Sir, we will arrive in Coruscant in nearly four hours,” Rex said when it was clear that Kix was busy with his studies.  He heard Anakin sigh quietly, but didn’t fuss, which worried Rex, as Anakin _always_ had something to say.

Anakin settled easily on the cot, a harsh wave of fatigue washed over him; usually, the lights above him would irritate him, even when his eyes were closed, but for right now, not even Master Windu’s harsh scolding could ruffle him.

He was out before they even hit hyperspace.

~~~~

_Anakin was floating, the space below him was dark blue, cold, and threatening, above him, the orange light was warm, comforting, and he wanted to soak in its embrace; he let his eyes slip shut, relaxing his body as the warmth coiled around him completely, shielding him from the cold blue below him._

_“You are my destiny, my reason for how I have come to this present day, I will never resent you.”_

_Anakin blinked sleepily, the figure in front of him was blinding, he was unable to focus on them, but their voice was familiar and no fear or wariness went through him, the force around him, the solid hold it had on him was soothing, he let his head fall back, letting the warmth of the being coiled around him soak into his very marrow, the serpent held no threat to him, it only held him in its coils, keeping him from floating into the blue void that he was afraid of; the loss of purpose, every fear he had as a youngling even up to a Jedi Master, it would chill him, freezing his blood in his veins, but this new voice was warm, soothing, it kept him grounded._

_“You are my sun, my moon, my stars, my center, I will never turn you away, you and I have our own Forces as one, we will create new wonderful lives, my darling; I will keep you safe from those who wish to use you.”_

_Anakin sighed at the warmth that made him doze, the words comforting and echoing, they seemed to wrap around him as well; completely out of the unwelcoming void.  He felt a hand brush through his hair, he wondered if it was a memory of his mother, but the touch was much firmer than his mother’s, he briefly opened his eyes, the blinding figure’s eyes stood out much more, they were bright as burning coals._

_~~~~_

Anakin snapped awake, the hot sweat that had consumed him turned cold and he wrapped his arms around himself.  He blearily looked around and found the familiar room to be one the healing rooms; he wondered how he even ended up in the healing ward…

“Anakin Skywalker, good to see that you’re awake.”

Anakin startled; he hadn’t heard anyone come in, let alone feel any Force signatures, he must have really been out of it.  He turned and saw Master Che standing by his bedside, “What happened?  Were my men attacked?”

Vokara looked perplexed at the question, “What do you remember?”

“Kix taking blood work and then I had laid down and I woke up here,” Anakin shrugged.  He didn’t like the way her amethyst eyes studied him, like she was picking him apart, “Did something happen…?”

“I’ll be completely honest with you, your vitals had dropped at an alarming rate, you had practically been in a coma for three days, your Force had almost completely left your body,” Vokara informed him, her dull blue lips drew into a thin line.  “I was unable to assist you anyway, as not even Master Yoda could pull your Force back to your body.”

Anakin blinked; he didn’t feel any different, if anything, he felt like he actually had energy.  He wasn’t for sure how to answer at that so he simply asked if he was allowed to leave, as there wasn’t anything wrong with him.

“Anakin,” Vokara’s tone was annoyed, “you were in a _coma_.”

“But now I’m not,” Anakin reminded her.  “I could have just been tired.”

“Kix came in here practically frantic as Rex had carried you in here on his back; you were void of any awareness, even in your unconsciousness, as trying to get through to you, to bring you back was like swimming through a thick bog of slime,” Master Che stifled a shiver at the memory.  She had gone in first, trying to weave through the dark of Anakin’s consciousness, but nearly ended up getting lost, then a force that was not Anakin’s had shoved her out; Yoda didn’t have much luck either, the old grandmaster voiced his concerns, looking troubled as if he knew this force that kept them away from Anakin.

“You’re worried over nothing,” Anakin tried to reassure her, snapping the older woman from her mental wanderings.  “I’ll come straight to you if something is wrong, I swear,” Anakin tried to win her favor so he could leave.

Vokara looked a little conflicted, almost telling him that he could only leave if his Master willed it, but Anakin was no longer that little boy and Master Qui-Gon was no longer with them.  She simply sighed, even if Anakin had grown up, he still had that stubborn side when he first had come to the temple at nine, “Very well, Skywalker, but I do expect you to come to the healing ward if you sense that anything is amiss, because if someone brings you back in unconscious, you will be here until I have found the source and then a cure.”

“That could be a long time, Master Che,” Anakin commented.

“I do hope you don’t mind long terms of bedrest then,” Vokara stated.  “Besides, I know that there are many who find you as great comfort, perhaps you could be the figure I need to get star-struck padawans to come in for their physical.”

Anakin chuckled at that, a little sheepish as he had grown with a lot of admirers, even some who were his age still gave him impressed stares.

“As soon as you are feel well enough to leave, Master Yoda and Master Windu have requested your presence,” Vokara informed him.  With that, she gave him a slight nod and left the room to give him privacy to change back into his Jedi robes.

Anakin quietly groaned after she left; he didn’t want to deal with the higher Masters right now, but he knew they’d hunt after him if he didn’t go to them first, as much as it was entertaining to think of Mace, Kit, or Plo chasing after him, he didn’t want to irritate them, or worse, have Ashoka come after him.

He quickly dressed after using the private fresher in his room and ruffled his hair with a clean towel until his hair was basically damp; he didn’t have time to brush it, so it’d just naturally dry and his wild wavy hair would be back in action.

Anakin slipped out the healing ward and down the massive halls nodding respectfully to passing masters and small, cheerful smiles and waves to passing padawans and younglings, which had him missing his padawan severely and was wondering how Ahsoka was; he could feel that she was off planet and too far for him to send her any notification that he was okay.

Lost in his worries, he found himself nearly crashing into the Council room’s doors.  Anakin calmed himself, trying to keep his posture relaxed as he carefully opened the doors and went into the circular room, where all the masters, except for Master Plo were sitting in their respectful chairs.

“Skywalker, good to see that you’ve remained in the land of the living,” Mace Windu commented when he saw Anakin standing at the doors, his words were gruff, a little accusing, but the relief that was in his eyes told Anakin not to take it personally.

Yoda’s ears quivered as he looked over Anakin, his old, wise eyes never blinking, before he hummed in agreement with Mace and gestured for Anakin to take his seat.

The other older masters as well greeted him with soft touches, kind words of acknowledgement, and questions of his wellbeing.

Anakin always felt the masters babied him slightly, which was irritating, but he did get away with a lot more than others, so he’d take what he could get.  He took his seat, feeling slightly awkward from the way the high masters gazed at him, as if he were a peculiar specimen.

“Skywalker,” Mace called, catching Anakin’s attention.  “Due to…odd circumstances, your report is due.  Master Plo informed us of your mission before you left, do you have any additional information on this…bounty hunter?”

Anakin felt a string of amusement run through him and it made him confused, as it was not his own, a brief image of Mace sitting before him as he was now, but in a different lighting, looking younger with less stress lines than he had now, a small smile had graced Mace’s face, and the memory was gone; that had not been Anakin’s memory.

“…Anakin?” Mace called slowly, when the young Knight had merely stared at him with bafflement.

“I, uh, sorry,” Anakin sheepishly ducked his head.

“Unwell, you are?” Master Yoda spoke up.  “See a healer, you should.  Gone, your presence was.  Frightened, we all were.”

“Thank you for your concern, Masters,” Anakin said quickly.  “I’m still wondering how I woke up too, if…the majority of my life was gone,” he murmured, still uneasy at how painless death was, how close it had been to taking his life, as he merely felt like he was only asleep.  “But for the report, the only information I had gathered was that he fought like a Jedi, but claimed that he was not on either side.  He admitted that he had our training…and then was trained under Count Dooku,” Anakin frowned.  “His name is Obi-Wan.”

The tension was grossly thick, Anakin wanted to leave, or at least take back what he had said.

“Master Plo did mention this,” Mace said after a moment of silence.  “There’s no proof that it was him.”

“Yea, but you guys also didn’t have a body either for Obi-Wan,” Anakin smartly reminded.  “There’s no way that this person is random with Jedi and Sith training and has the name of your supposed fallen Jedi Knight.”

“Coincidence, this is not,” Yoda hummed.  “But, no evidence, there is not.  Perhaps a changling runs about, hmm?”

Anakin forced himself not to sigh; he didn’t personally know Obi-Wan, but he couldn’t understand _why_ they couldn’t at least consider it, the age description Anakin gave would sort of match up how old Obi-Wan would be, not to mention, the Jedi skill, the way Obi-Wan had spoken about the Council, even Qui-Gon; Anakin’s heart throbbed painfully.

“There is nothing more of your report, Knight Skywalker?” Mace asked Anakin. 

“No, Master,” Anakin would keep the other details to himself, for one they’d be no use and they were equally embarrassing and didn’t want them to know that he was having weird yearning dreams over a man he had just met.

“Careful, you should be,” Yoda told Anakin, “Intrigued, you are.  Curious, young Skywalker seems to be, dangerous, it is.”

Anakin flushed slightly; it made him sound like an undisciplined padawan, oh, Qui-Gon must surely must be rolling his eyes and leering at Yoda for the excess drama the old Jedi caused. 

The Council did move on from Anakin’s report, discussing new plans and strategies, some Jedi Council members took missions off planet, while Mace and Yoda pointedly kept Anakin grounded, for whatever reasons they had, which annoyed him, but Anakin bit his tongue and let the meeting continue until Mace said that they were all dismissed, and Anakin hastily left before any of the masters could call him back for further questioning.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was immediately attacked by Ahsoka’s Force that felt like it whapped him over the head, he squinted at his padawan, who stood a little to his right, stiff spine, arms crossed, and her eyes were narrowed at him.

“I’m not dead and I’m fine, are you okay?” Anakin said quickly.

“No!  I thought something terrible had happened to you!” Ahsoka snapped, she ignored the looks of surprise and amusement of passing masters, as she ripped her master a new one.

Anakin sighed, “Snips, can we peacefully talk about this later?”

“Are you still feeling unwell?” Ahsoka’s demeanor changed when she saw how exhausted her master was.  “Should we go to the healing ward?  Healer Che looked extremely annoyed that you had left and told me to report to her immediately if anything was off about you.”

“Ugh,” Anakin huffed, rolling his eyes slightly.  “I don’t need any help, thank you, Ahsoka,” he forced himself to be kind.

“Even your gratitude is worrying,” Ahsoka commented.  “How about we just go get dinner?”

“That my amazing padawan, is something that I can easily agree with you about,” Anakin stated and told Ahsoka to lead the way.  As he walked, Anakin felt another wave of soft amusement towards the banter that went between him and his padawan; he wondered if this was going to be a lasting thing, but he couldn’t find himself minding much.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Dinner had been quick and simple, Anakin picked something up from Dex’s, which was a small diner in the lower section, he hadn’t been aware about until he suddenly craved a thick burger and the mental image of Dex’s appeared to mind and he quickly guided Ahsoka there.

“How’d you even find this place?” Ahsoka asked, when they stood off to the side, waiting for their order to be finished.

“Dunno, might have passed this place a couple times as a padawan,” Anakin shrugged; he didn’t know how he knew of this place, as Master Qui-Gon had kept him away from this sector, not that it was a bad place to go, he just got foggy eyed and kept tightlipped, which Anakin thought odd, and only assumed that something had happened to his Master there.

A wide alien came to them with two bags of their food, he looked middle aged as he had a balding spot and a fair number of wrinkles on his face.

“Ah, haven’t had anyone order this meal in a long time,” the apparent owner of place said, as his name tag reflected the name of the diner.  “I had one customer, a Jedi much like yourself, he’d come here every month, order a Decker Slam with cheese curls,” he squinted up at Anakin, who gave the odd rambling alien a confused stare.  “Poor lad,” he shook his head.   

Anakin felt a wave of sorrow sweep through him, “By chance,” Anakin blurted, catching the owner’s attention when he started to walk away, mumbling to himself, “was his name Obi-Wan?”

Dex’s eyes widened, “How’d you know?  Did you grow up with him?  You look barely over 18, lad, my boy Obi would be pushing 30…had his life not ended so abruptly,” his tone growing softer by the end.

Ahsoka looked up to Anakin, her eyebrows raised slightly.

“I, uh, it mentioned something on his plaque that he liked to come here, the Jedi, they try to remind us that the other Jedi who passed before us were still living beings and had favorite foods, places, hobbies that sort of thing, and that they should be remembered as such and not just as a name,” Anakin fibbed, feeling terrible.

Dex’s gray eyes warmed at that, “Thank you for sharing, he was a good lad, his former teacher too; it’s sad to lose both of them, even though I knew his teacher wasn’t too fond of my food, he still let Obi-Wan come by.”

Anakin’s heart was beating quickly, “Do you recall who his mentor was?”

Dex scratched at his chin thoughtfully, “My memory isn’t as great as it used to be, but I believe his name was Qui-Gon.  He took in another little one after Obi-Wan’s passing, a small youngster, shy little guy, as he always clung onto Qui-Gon’s robes, I never got to meet him, but they occasionally passed my diner.”

Anakin fought back a blush at the memory of him being afraid, always hiding behind Master Qui-Gon’s tall form; his former master had been rather intimidating with height and his schooled face, but with Anakin, he had always been kind and welcoming.

Ahsoka fought back a smile at the image of her tall master, being a shy wallflower, as he was completely the opposite now; her master was still humble and got embarrassed, but he was a courageous leader and many people admired him.

“I won’t keep you two,” Dex said, “and thank you for uplifting my spirits.”

“Of course,” Anakin nodded.  He said farewell to Dex before holding the door for Ahsoka, as she was holding two large bags of greasy diner food, but their mouths watered regardless.  He shakily exhaled when it finally settled that Master Qui-Gon had trained Obi-Wan; was this why Anakin felt a strong connection with Obi-Wan?

“Master, you’ve been too quiet,” Ahsoka commented. “Did that guy’s words really bother you?”

“He knew my former master and he knew Obi-Wan,” Anakin responded.  “Why would the Jedi Council keep that from me and why didn’t my former master tell me about his former padawan?”

Ahsoka didn’t have an answer.

“Obi-Wan told me that that he had been told by the Force that he was destined to meet me,” Anakin confessed.

“Destined to meet him?” Ahsoka echoed, confused.

“It was what he told me,” Anakin murmured.

Ahsoka didn’t think she’d get anymore answers if she asked, so they walked side by side in silence all the way to the temple.

Anakin bid his padawan goodnight when he had walked her to her quarters, and he walked off his own quarters.  When he arrived, he placed his bag of food on the coffee table and went to his room to strip off his robes, outer tunic, and boots before going back into the living room area to start scarfing down his meal while reading on his holopad.

He hacked into the Jedi Council database, combing through anything that vaguely mentioned anything about Obi-Wan, which to his annoyance, he either found those documents on lockdown and had to get through multiple, tedious firewalls or the information about the supposed dead Jedi was redacted, the only thing that Anakin could openly view was Obi-Wan’s obituary.

“For an alleged dead man, they sure are trying to keep you covered,” Anakin muttered.  He felt a brush of annoyance that wasn’t his own and Anakin was starting to wonder if he was going crazy; there was no way he had made a Force Bond with Obi-Wan, as he would have remembered, but part of him wondered if it had only been one-sided.

He shut down the database, cleaning his device’s system so that nothing could be tracked back to him and he dropped it next to him on the couch with a quiet sigh, again, he felt a gentle brush of affection course through him, causing him to relax, he let his head fall back against the headrest of the couch, the lights were dim, the air around him shifted, his body warmed, a soft flush raced up his neck and to his cheeks, his lower gut coiled, a yearning groan escaped him.

“What the _kriff?!”_ Anakin hissed, snapping out of whatever he had fallen into.  His heart was pounding quickly, his legs were shaking and he didn’t want to try standing in case he fell.

Part of him wondered if there was something truly wrong with him that he needed to get checked out, but Anakin decided against it; he wasn’t in the mood to be picked and prodded at, and if Healer Che got ahold of him, she would keep him locked in a medic room until she deemed him well again, which, given by Anakin’s reckless attitude, running face first into danger, and challenging anything that looked at him wrong, she’d probably keep him there for his own good.

Forcing himself off the couch, he his legs didn’t feel like jelly anymore, and he took a quick shower before deciding to go to bed; he felt tired, more than usual, and he wondered if it was because of that weird emotional energy that swept through him.  Anakin tried prodding at it when he had laid down, but it was like trying to grab smoke, anytime his Force brushed against whatever was touching his conscious, it would back away and Anakin wasn’t up for playing tag.

“Stop annoying me so much,” Anakin growled when the feeling came back, completely washing over him, but this time, it was a yearning, he felt safe and protected; he hadn’t felt like that since his mother had been around, and he bit his lip, fighting back the sorrow he could feel rising, if anything, the bubble around him only held him closer, he shut his eyes, he could have sworn he heard a low rumbling voice, but he was too far gone to try to understand or decipher the words.

When Anakin woke, it was oddly to his own terms, there wasn’t a comm buzzing in his ear, or knocking at his door.  He sat up, feeling refreshed once more, which was an odd feeling, as he was used to being emotionally and physically drained, standing on his last leg, or on the brink of insanity.

He reached out for Ahsoka, seeing how she was, as his padawan had been quite silent on their way back to the temple, worry had plagued her signature, and Anakin felt guilty to be the source of it.  He didn’t feel much, her Force was muted, she must still be sleeping, and he’d let her get all the rest she needed, as she had done a wonderful job on their last mission together, and he knew that she had been extremely busy with missions with Master Plo when Anakin had been out for a few days.

_Master Plo would be a much better mentor for her than me._   Anakin thought, he felt terrible for not being there when she probably needed him, he was at least grateful he didn’t feel a Force Bond between her and Master Plo.

He told himself to stop feeling sorry for himself and got ready for the day, it just about when he was about to go out and head to Ahsoka’s location when his comm beeped at him.  Anakin answered it and Mace gave him orders to help with training new padawans, Ahsoka would be shadowing Master Plo on the outer rim with bandits that were stealing Jedi supplies; a lick of anger boiled in him, he wanted to demand why he was being kept in the Temple, or why Ahsoka couldn’t train with him, where she could bond with the young padawans as well, but he simply gritted his teeth and allowed it.

Anakin headed to the sector of defense arts that he’d be teaching, he was more of a physical learner than by a holobook, and he hoped the new padawans were just as eager to actually do something physical, rather than read about it, as he had done in his padawan years; he remembered grouching about it to Master Qui-Gon, who laughed endearingly and reassured Anakin that his lessons would not go to waste.

He ducked inside with a few padawans, he was still a couple minutes early, a new record for him.  He would be teaching about 15 padawans today, he counted that 11 were already sitting on meditation pillows, some were gossiping with each other and others tried to straighten their spine to the point that it looked painful.

“Good afternoon,” Anakin called, catching the padawans’ attentions.

“Good evening, Master Skywalker,” they replied in slight unison.

Anakin felt a trickle of amusement brush the back of his head and he focused himself, “Today, I will be teaching you the basics for defense stances, no, put your holobooks away, those can tell you about how to stand, but you’ll never learn a proper stance if you haven’t tried it yourself.”

Joyfulness rippled through the room and Anakin removed his robe to stand in the center of the class, “Alright, try your best to copy me,” he said.  “I’ll give you all pointers when we progress.”

~~~

The next couple of weeks passed like this, Anakin either training younglings or fresh padawans or doing small missions that were near the Temple, Anakin didn’t know why they were keeping him on such a short leash.  Were they annoyed with him?  Was this punishment?  They certainly didn’t act as if there was something wrong, but Jedi were taught not to hold onto anger, but to ignore it or let it go.

Anakin didn’t ask, he was usually so tired after lessons that he’d retreat back to his quarters to rest for the night; it didn’t help that he was also feeling the emotions from another unseen force that liked to make itself well known to Anakin at any given time.

He was so busy with his mental ramblings that he didn’t see Ahsoka come into the living room.

“Master?”

Anakin looked up from his holopad he was reading on, he saw Ahsoka standing shyly in the doorway of his room, “Snips, good to see you.  How are you?” he asked, gesturing for her to sit down.

Ahsoka’s shoulders slumped in relief to see that Anakin wasn’t in a bitter mood at due to being stuck in the Temple, but she wondered how long his good mood was going to last, “I’m…okay, it’s you I’m worried about,” she responded softly.  Already she could feel herself starting to get upset and she struggled to keep her emotions hidden and locked away.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Anakin reassured her.  “How was your latest mission with Master Plo?

“It was okay…a little boring, as Master Plo made me stay with the camp of villagers, while he went and chased after pirates,” Ahsoka sighed.  She nervously chewed the inside of her cheek, “Master…I was summoned to speak with the Jedi Council.”

Anakin felt the flare of anxiety flare in his gut, “Oh?  What, did you get an attitude?” he teased, trying to make light of the situation, but his padawan wasn’t smiling.  “Ahsoka?” he prompted.

“The Jedi Council have requested that I train under Master Plo,” Ahsoka whispered, her cheeks burned, and she felt the burn of tears starting to arise.  “Master, I tried to tell them no, I don’t _want_ to be trained by another other than you!” she cried.

Anakin thought his blood had frozen in his veins and he dropped the holopad in shock and it fell to the carpeted floor with a muffled thud, “…What?”

Ahsoka was frantically wiping away her tears, ashamed to seem so vulnerable in front of Anakin, but she was pulled to his chest and his arms wrapped around him, cloaking her in comfort, “Master, I don’t know what to do, or why this is happening,” Ahsoka whispered.  “They keep saying that it’s for the best and that you’re too overwhelmed to be training a padawan…I thought I was becoming a problem—”

“Ahsoka, _no_ , you are never a problem, you’re my padawan, and you’ve been my apprentice for the last two years; I have no idea why this is happening,” Anakin cut her off.  “They’ve spoke nothing of this, not even voicing a concern,” anger coated his words.

“I respect Master Plo, but I do not want to fully train under him,” Ahsoka murmured.  “There’s nothing that can be done?”

Anakin pulled away to drape his robe around her shoulders, “I will speak to them,” he stated.  “I’ll get this mess squared away,” he swore.  Anakin stood up, “You may remain here, if you want, I shall return as soon as I can.”

With that, Anakin briskly walked down the halls, anger that was hot as lava burned through his veins. How _dare_ the Jedi Council do this to him?  Am I not good enough to train Ahsoka?  She’s been his padawan for two years!  Never did they say that it was going to be a temporary thing!  Anakin growled lowly, his hands clenched into fists.

As he cut through the gardens, he felt a calming aura to wave over him, but he immediately fought it off, it didn’t back off, as it only felt stronger, more physical, Anakin whipped around when he felt the source of the feeling come up from behind him.

“Hello, again, Anakin,” Obi-Wan’s clear voice cut through the jumbled mess that were Anakin’s thoughts.  “Let’s get you calmed down and settled somewhere, yes?  Before you do something that you will regret.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm going to be in the desert with the fam for the next week, so no wifi for me!! But, it'll give me time to write on this fic bc I won't be distracted with Tumblr or anything so there's that.  
> If you don't hear from me in 4 weeks or something, assume that my pasty ass died under the unforgiving sun in the hellish state of Arizona...
> 
> Goodbye, remember me as I was: writing shit Obikin, while I'm drunk.

“I won’t regret tearing the Jedi Council apart for what they’ve done,” Anakin snarled, squaring his shoulders.

Obi-Wan gazed at him impassively, his hazel eyes exposed nothing, “Anger will ruin you, it will make you what you most fear,” he murmured.

“I’m not going to stand here and listen to you talk about gibberish!” Anakin spat, he turned away, intending to head to the Jedi Council, but Obi-Wan’s firm hand caught his wrist, stopping him from moving.  Anakin angrily whipped back around, going to dislodge the older man’s hold on him, when he felt Obi-Wan’s other hand caress the side of his face, before stilling there, “Release me, or—”

“Calm down,” Obi-Wan ordered sternly, he felt the tautness of Anakin’s wrist somewhat relax and watched his shoulders slump.  “Proving a point to your Jedi Council in this state will not gain you any favor, and you know this.”

“They took my padawan from me,” Anakin whispered.  “How can I not be angry?  They went behind my back!”

“Believe me, young one, I know the feeling of having something precious stolen from you,” Obi-Wan’s calm eyes hardened briefly, the hues of his eyes were a light shade of orange before melting away.  He lightly squeezed Anakin’s wrist, “Come, let’s move somewhere so we won’t be bothered.”

“I don’t trust you,” Anakin responded, he wanted to remain defiant, but his legs moved regardless.  

“Have I given you a personal reason to distrust me?  Not once have I attacked you to take your life, nor harmed you, or threatened anyone dear to you,” Obi-Wan pointed out.  He led them down a path that he knew the night guards still did not bother to look over, he felt the unease come from Anakin, “Things never change for this place, not even guard routines,” he commented. 

Anakin stared hard at Obi-Wan’s back, “Qui-Gon was your master too, why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded.  “You know everything of the Jedi Order, grew up with them, trained with them, you had friends here, and you threw it all away for _this_?”

“No, I threw it all away because I was miserable and because the Force was going to gift you to me,” Obi-Wan stated.  “And for…Master Qui-Gon, he’s no longer with us, my secret died with him, there wasn’t a reason to tell you if you were going to find out anyway, of who I truly was.  The Jedi believe me dead, believe that I was slain by Qui-Gon’s hand because I had allegedly fallen,” he paused at a tree, turning to face Anakin, they were far away enough that no one should feel them.  “I told Master Qui-Gon that I no longer wished to be a Jedi when they refused to allow you to be my apprentice, even when I told them I saw that our fates were to be after a vision, the Force was upset, as was I.  I had obeyed their every beck and call, but they denied me of you, which…had that path happened anyway, our lives would have ended up terrible,” Obi-Wan’s face grew grim, a memory that Anakin could not see, but he could feel Obi-Wan’s grief.

“You knew me?” Anakin blinked.  “You saw us as Master and Padawan in a vision and they still refused you?”

“Come, we will talk more at a more secure location,” Obi-Wan promised. 

Anakin huffed quietly and let Obi-Wan guide him to wherever they were going, he saw that apartments were coming into view and he tugged on Obi-Wan’s hold, “Where are we going?”

“To my apartment, of course,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin’s mind promptly shut down and he only stammered.

Obi-Wan looked back at him, raising an elegant eyebrow, “You’re of age, what are you to be worried about?”

Before Anakin could answer, or at least splutter that was not a kind question, he felt Obi-Wan’s amusement and he stopped cold in his tracks, ignoring the snaps of annoyance of other civilians on the sidewalk with him, he heard Obi-Wan sigh softly, “You bonded yourself to me.”

“Anakin, I promise I will answer any question you have, just _please_ come with me,” Obi-Wan swore.  “I will not harm you or anyone.”

“ _This_ ,” Anakin gestured mentally to their light, feeling the small string of Obi-Wan’s Force braiding with his own, “this is harm, I didn’t consent to this.”

“I am protecting you,” Obi-Wan gritted out.  “I have seen your life in multiple visions, I know you, inside and out, I won’t let you be hurt anymore.  I won’t fail you, lose you, or allow any losses to happen to you _ever_ again.”

Anakin felt the protective, almost possessive flare of Obi-Wan’s bond coil around him.  He felt Obi-Wan pull gently at him, he had completely forgotten that the elder had ahold on him, he cheeks reddened and it only worsened when he saw the small tilt of Obi-Wan’s lips shaping into a smile, the fondness in Obi-Wan’s hazel eyes; he looked at Anakin as if he knew him his whole life.

 _He had Force visions of me…I’m not for certain why me in general, but in some way, he does know me._ Anakin thought as Obi-Wan quickly guided him to a cozy looking apartment complex, where the older man ushered him upstairs to the third floor and down the hall to the last apartment on the right.

Obi-Wan let himself in first, so that he wasn’t forcing Anakin or trapping him in a room he didn’t know without allowing Anakin to scope the area first.  He glanced behind him and saw that Anakin stood hesitantly in the doorway, looking over the living room, glancing down the small dark hall, even the archway that lead into the kitchen.

“Okay,” Anakin nodded stiffly, the door shut behind him and he moved to the arm chair that was still closest to the door, while Obi-Wan took to the couch.  Anakin could feel Obi-Wan pressing at their new, fragile bond, seeking any answers from him, “That’s cheating, if you knew me through all the visions you’ve had, then you don’t have to use the bond.  Why did you make it anyway and when?”

“You’re always altered a little in some vision of mine, I’m just making sure you’re not about to do something impulsive, as you’ve always been rash,” Obi-Wan defended himself.  He moved onto Anakin’s question, “I created the bond with you at the bar, to be completely truthful, in the force visions, your face was mostly cloudy, your hair wasn’t like this, it was your padawan cut, so…after reaching out to you, when you told me it Master Qui-Gon who trained you, I knew it was you and accepted your Force signature with mine.”

Anakin hummed softly, “Why do we meet like this and not as Jedi?” he asked.  He saw the tightness in Obi-Wan’s jaw.  “We still could have met, even if you weren’t my master.”

“The Jedi Council, ruining all things for people,” Obi-Wan sneered.  “I agree, but it would have heavily burdened me if someone else were to teach you, other than Master Qui-Gon or myself,” he calmed himself, “not that it would matter if I did…you would be taken from me regardless.”

“What do you mean?” Anakin pressed.  He could feel once again, Obi-Wan curling his Force around him, “I’m here,” he whispered, it was something that Ahsoka had done when she was much younger, searching for his Force to reassure herself that she wasn’t alone.

“You had fallen to the dark side, seduced by a hooded figure, who promised to keep your beloved and your children safe,” Obi-Wan answered.  He saw and felt the shock of Anakin at his answer, “We fought…I left you to die, because I loved you too much to kill you, I left you to a fate far worse than death,” Obi-Wan’s face grew grim.

“Jedi can’t have personal attachments,” Anakin numbly answered, flustered at the fact that he had a significant other and children in another alternative universe and that Obi-Wan sounded like he had lived it personally and harbored forbidden feelings for Anakin.

“Oh, Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed, unaware that he had just triggered the lustful dream Anakin had nearly three weeks ago.  “I know you, you love with your whole being, energy and all, nothing is minor with you.”

“But I don’t know you,” Anakin struggled to keep his emotions in check, he shielded himself and he saw that Obi-Wan looked slightly annoyed.  “Why didn’t you tell me about Master Qui-Gon?  He was your Master too; the Jedi Council wouldn’t tell me either, not even when I knew they were hiding the fact that they know you’re not dead, even if they’ve done everything in their power to hide anything about you.”

“Well, it’s not exactly something I like to talk about, Master Qui-Gon was a father figure, I felt terrible for leaving his side, he already disliked the Jedi Council and I was his only true friend, but he knew that I always follow my heart,” Obi-Wan said softly.  “With the Jedi Council…it’s not something they’d broadcast, the fact being that a Master had to slay his apprentice like a Sith Lord would do theirs, or vice versa.  Master Qui-Gon was already devastated that I had left him willingly to search out the meaning of my visions, so it wasn’t hard for him to fabricate a story of me falling.”

“So you left because of that, not because I wouldn’t have been your apprentice?” Anakin blinked.  He had no memory of this, he vaguely recalled another figure at Master Qui-Gon’s shoulder at most times, but he had been so young and terrified, he didn’t really want to meet new people.

“That was the other issue,” Obi-Wan muttered.  “After Master Qui-Gon had freed you from…your life, I was finishing my trials as a Jedi Knight,” he continued, “You were going to be my apprentice, it was Master Qui-Gon’s wish after he had finally managed to get you into the Jedi Order, but during my last trial, before I had left with Master Qui-Gon to finish it, Mace Windu, he informed me that you would not be my apprentice, then my visions had started.  I saw the fallout if you had been, but I was still so bitter with the Jedi Council and how they treated me, treated you, and our former master,” he paused to glare at the cream carpet, “I was miserable to begin with, and I did not want you to have the fate that I saw, so I did what was best, and left, I knew the Council would listen to a grieving Master, they gave you to Master Qui-Gon, I did not have to worry anymore, and then I went off to learn both sides of the Force and the in-between.”

Anakin took a moment to soak in what Obi-Wan confessed; he felt bad him and understood him, to be lost and confused, used, to be looked down on. The other Jedi, even the Jedi Council, they could be kind, but they still slightly feared him, he was a walking time bomb, they still brought him down when he struggled to get their approval, when he’d risk his life, they’d chide him for being reckless, but if he kept himself out of danger, they accused him of not trying hard enough. 

“Understand that I’m not here to tell you this for your pity, Anakin, I just want you to know that you don’t suffer alone in this,” Obi-Wan said.  “What have you to lose now?  They’re taking your padawan away from you, she was your main reason for staying, was she not?”

“I’m not running away from the war just because a dusty, old order has bad choices,” Anakin gruffly responded.  “I will make it better after the war has ended.”

“War will never be over,” Obi-Wan said.  “A new one will just begin.”

“I know,” Anakin solemnly replied, “but I will try to fight before another one can properly form.”

“Is this what you want to do with the rest of your life?” Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes.

_To be a slave to yourself?  To those above you, telling you what to do?_

The unspoken questions were there and Anakin couldn’t find it in himself to get upset to have his past dragged up.

“What can I do then?” Anakin snapped.

Obi-Wan gave him a sympathetic look, “Walk away from it.”

“ _No,_ ” Anakin growled, rising to tower over Obi-Wan, “I won’t abandon my team, my padawan, not the younglings, not the new padawans; I’d rather fight for them, rather than have them take my place, it isn’t fair to them.”

“It’s not fair to you either, young one,” Obi-Wan said gently.  “You will be replaced one day, you cannot fight until your last breath.”

“Master Qui-Gon wouldn’t have taught a coward,” Anakin hissed.

“No, you are right, but he did teach me when to stop wasting my breath, to think of a new strategy and not die with the original plan,” Obi-Wan agreed.  His eyes looked over Anakin, taking him in, “I have a new plan, something that I’m not against, but have desired it for a long time.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” Anakin narrowed his eyes.

“My first step of my plan is simple: _you_.”


	5. Chapter 5

“ _Me_?!” Anakin incredulous snarl echoed in Obi-Wan’s apartment.  “Jedi or not, whatever you are, whatever you stand for, I’m _not_ training under you!”

Obi-Wan sighed, letting Anakin vent and have a hiss fit until the younger man was only shaking in anger, the red in his face resided somewhat, “Have you quite finished?” he drawled.  “My, I think I need a drink after all this squabble.”

“You brought me here,” Anakin reminded.  “I don’t know what you expected.”

Obi-Wan rose from his seat, “Well, to be truthful, what I expected and hoped was for this,” with that, Obi-Wan shoved Anakin onto the couch, ignoring Anakin’s startled yelp, and he came over to him, half pinning the Jedi down to the couch; he could feel the fast flutter of Anakin’s heart against the Force he used to pin Anakin down.  “I have no desire to harm you,” Obi-Wan told him.

“Then what is this?!” Anakin snapped, squirming against the invisible hold.  He looked up at Obi-Wan, he watched the slow swirl of amber and hazel mix together, his breath stuttered in his chest, “What do you want with me?” Anakin whispered, his voice was low, a soft tremor in his tone.

Obi-Wan traced the smooth expanse of Anakin’s jaw gently, before settling onto Anakin’s hips, “I want you safe, away from the Jedi Council, I don’t want you to suffer the terrible fate that I saw.”

“I can’t abandon them either,” Anakin swallowed uneasily when Obi-Wan’s hand rested against his neck, he was nervous that Obi-Wan would flex his fingers, “I can’t leave them, you said you felt guilty when you left Master Qui-Gon, I will have that same guilt if I leave Ahsoka, even if I can’t train her anymore.”

“They _don’t_ deserve you,” Obi-Wan hissed softly, his eyes were a bright orange, crimson rimmed his eyes and he hastily pulled himself away from Anakin when he could feel the small amount of fear coming from him.  He leaned against the armchair, his back to the startled Jedi Knight.  He shakily exhaled, collecting himself, “I apologize, I did not mean to…act so aggressively.”

Anakin slowly sat up, he was still sprawled on the couch, but his arms lined the back of the couch and the armrest, too unnerved to say anything.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin over his shoulder, “Do not think that you have to stay here, I assaulted you.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Anakin tried to keep his voice steady.

Obi-Wan walked slow, careful steps, the walk of a predator, hunting his prey, “I can taste your fear, Anakin,” he whispered, he braced his hand on the back of the couch, looming over the Jedi, “Don’t be afraid of me, I could never harm you, darling…”

Anakin blinked and his face grew warm when Obi-Wan’s hand caressed his cheek, the pure adoration in the bond that Obi-Wan shared with him made his head swim, “These visions…are they of this?”

“Our fates are intertwined,” Obi-Wan said, eyes never leaving Anakin’s face, slowly taking in every small freckle, each long, dark lash that lined Anakin’s blue, blue eyes, his pink plush lips, and the soft slope of his nose.  He couldn’t resist, he cupped the underside of Anakin’s jaw, connecting their lips, he took advantage when Anakin’s mouth parted to suck in a gasp, he climbed over the Jedi again, pushing him against the cushions, “The visions I’ve had of us, I never got a proper taste until now,” Obi-Wan whispered when he pulled away, he slowly traced Anakin’s jaw with his thumb.

Anakin tilted his head back, gazing up into Obi-Wan’s gentle eyes, “I can’t do this,” he whispered, “I have to go back, I have to go speak with the Jedi Council,” his stern statement ended up in soft stammer when Obi-Wan’s beard brushed against the sensitive skin of his neck.

Obi-Wan shushed him, kissing him softly, he could feel Anakin relaxing back under him, his fingers wove into his hair and Obi-Wan practically purred when Anakin pulled, “They won’t need you tonight,” he murmured, nipping softly at Anakin’s earlobe.

“I don’t want to leave Ahsoka, she’s upset,” Anakin moved his hands to lightly push at Obi-Wan’s shoulders.  He shifted slightly when Obi-Wan remained over him, he felt the conflict in their bond and he nudged at Obi-Wan again, “I have to leave.”

Obi-Wan slowly backed off, “Of course,” he glanced over Anakin, still straddling the young Jedi , while drinking in the sight of him.  He slid off him, moving to stand by the edge of the couch, collecting himself again, he closed his eyes, taking a slow steady breath.

Anakin shakily got off the couch, “I need to go,” he muttered quickly, sounding like he needed to tell himself that and not Obi-Wan; he made a hasty exit, leaving Obi-Wan behind.

Obi-Wan silently ran a hand down his face due to his actions; he had frightened Anakin away.

~~~~

Ahsoka woke up when she heard Anakin’s front door open with a sharp hiss, she blinked tiredly and frowned at Anakin’s pale complexion, “Master?”

Anakin shook his head, “I’m sorry I returned so late, Snips,” he looked away in shame. 

Her now former master had been away for almost three hours and he looked conflicted and upset, “I didn’t think it would work...” Ahsoka murmured, she pulled her knees up to her chest, once again, tears blurred her vision, but they did not fall.

Guilt flooded Anakin; he hadn’t even gotten the chance to speak to the Jedi Council, because his head was also wrapped around what had just happened with Obi-Wan, and if he went to them in this state, then they would know that separating Ahsoka from him was the best choice.

“I should go,” Ahsoka muttered, she shrugged off Anakin’s cloak and draped it over the back of his couch.  The longer she stayed within Anakin’s presence, the harder it was going to be to let him go.

Anakin didn’t have the heart to speak up, he merely watched her go and then he was alone; he walked to his room and fell face first onto his bed and closed his eyes, struggling to keep himself in control.

He didn’t sleep that night.

~~~~

The sun rose and Anakin continued to stare at his wall, his eyes burned each time he blinked, his body was sore, and his neck was still tender from where Obi-Wan had bit there and when his beard rubbed against him.

He groggily rolled out of bed to the refresher where he stood under the almost scalding water for 15 minutes before getting out and slowly getting ready to go face the Jedi Council; he could feel Obi-Wan prodding at their bond carefully and Anakin hastily raised his mental shields, blocking Obi-Wan.

He snatched his Jedi robes that had still been folded and placed on the back of the couch and pulled it on, he sighed, staring at his front door before telling himself to get a move on.  He stalked out of his quarters and hastily made his way to the Jedi Council room, he could feel Obi-Wan pressing at him and he gritted his teeth, “I won’t remain calm if you keep doing this,” Anakin muttered.

He finally managed to arrive to the Council’s room, he didn’t make a scene around passing Jedi Masters when Obi-Wan kept poking and prodding, even when he felt himself starting to snap, he only gritted his teeth and swept through the doors with enough dramatic flair that Padmé would have been proud.

“Skywalker,” Windu greeted, looking from up a Holopad he had been reading on.  He sat at his chair, giving the young Jedi Master a look over and he wasn’t surprised to see fury on his face, “Before you start, it was an agreement among the other Jedi Council members, excluding Master Plo, as it would have been an unfair vote.”

“ _Unfair?!_ You didn’t even consult me about it!” Anakin hissed, his hands shook when he clenched them into fists.  He noticed that it was only him and Master Windu in the room, perhaps the older man asked the others to not be around, and stars know that Master Yoda avoided Anakin’s bouts of anger, as the Force became smothering with rage.

Mace held in a sigh, while trying to ignore the thick anger that flooded the room; Anakin had the anger of a great dragon, the intensity of his rage could be the searing dragon’s fire, most would quiver or relent to Anakin, but Mace had dealt with Anakin since he was nine, he could tolerate it much longer.

“Why do you consider me unworthy to train Ahsoka?” Anakin demanded.  “She’s been my padawan for two years, why did you all conclude now to have Plo Koon train her?”

“It has been brought to our attention that Obi-Wan has taken an interest in you,” Mace informed him.  “We did not want Padawan Tano involved when we task you to personally seek out the Sith Lord.”

“You said that he was dead, you didn’t believe my report or when I had another encounter with him,” Anakin reminded snippily.  He crossed his arms, “You think that I would endanger Ahsoka?  I would never ask her to follow me if I was given the task to track Obi-Wan.”

“Yes, we were doubtful that Kenobi was alive, as Qui-Gon Jinn had told us that he had personally taken down Obi-Wan, telling us that his former padawan had fallen,” Mace then let out a weary sigh, rubbing at his temples.  “We were deceived, it seems.  Master Yoda has confirmed that Obi-Wan Kenobi still lives, as it was his conscious that Master Yoda felt with your force when he was trying to pull you out of your coma.”

“I know this,” Anakin muttered.  He saw that Mace gave him a studying gaze, but Anakin wasn’t going to say anything more, as the Council had hidden things from him.  “The last time I spoke with Obi-Wan was over three weeks ago,” Anakin said calmly.  “If he was still woven with my force, I would know.”

“Of course,” Mace responded coolly.  “I do apologize for these circumstances, Anakin,” he did seem genuine with his apology.  “But this is how it must be.”

“Yes, Master,” Anakin gritted out in the least threatening manner he could manage.  He turned on his heel and stalked away, he knew he was slightly projecting, as the younger generation he passed flinched back unconsciously, but he could not find it in himself to care.

Ahsoka looked back when she felt Anakin, she barely had time to block in the incoming attack from her sparring partner before she hastily excused herself, she jogged after him, “Master! Skyguy!” she chased after him through the training grounds until they had nearly reached the second floor.

Anakin turned when he heard his former padawan’s voice, “Snips,” he murmured; grief filled his bond and he felt Ahsoka’s sadness too.

“They didn’t change their mind, did they?” Ahsoka asked softly.

“No,” Anakin said, he didn’t reject her embrace, he could feel how devastated she was through their bond.  “Master Plo will the one to teach you from here on out.”

Ahsoka fought back tears, “This isn’t fair,” she whispered.  She wrapped her arms tighter around him, she knew she was physically stronger, and knew that she could be nearly crushing his ribs, but she didn’t want to let Anakin go.

“I know,” Anakin agreed softly.  He eventually had to pull back, but he kept a hand on her shoulder, “But I know you’re strong, you’ll be okay,” Anakin forced a smile, even though his heart was breaking.

“What’s going to happen to you?” Ahsoka asked quietly.

“Nothing, as far as I know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they have something planned for me,” Anakin replied, his eyebrows furrowed as he silently wondered that question himself, as he had been too angry with the Council to wonder what they would ask of him.

He felt a soothing presence wash over him and Anakin didn’t fight it away this time; he was too distraught and silently thanked Obi-Wan.

“They’re having me leave again with Master Plo,” Ahsoka told her former master, glancing down at her feet.  “I don’t want to leave.”

“Ahsoka, I know you’re upset, I am too,” Anakin started off gently, “but don’t be difficult with Master Plo, he had no vote for this matter.”

Ahsoka still didn’t look any happier to know that Master Plo hadn’t forced them apart, “I still don’t like it.”

“And I know you won’t for a long time,” Anakin agreed; he and Ahsoka were on the same level of holding grudges and shared the same amount of stubbornness, so it was most likely Anakin was going to be petty and Ahsoka would probably toe the line more than a few times to let the other Masters know that she was displeased with their choices.

“Promise me you’ll be here when I come back, I’ll be gone for a few weeks at most,” Ahsoka told him.  She felt him squeeze her should reassuringly, “I won’t be around to save you anymore.”

Anakin scoffed and endearingly rolled his eyes at her last statement, “Snips, please, if anything, _I_ was the one to save _you_.”

“Really, because who dragged your unconscious body from your fighter jet?  That’s right, me!” Ahsoka reminded.  She smiled when Anakin chuckled at her and her smile faltered somewhat, “I’ll miss you.”

“You’ll see me every day in the Temple when you’re here,” Anakin responded.  “You won’t even notice.”

 _I can only hope._ Ahsoka thought and followed Anakin to the lunch hall when he said that they should get lunch together.

Watching Ahsoka leave was tough, Anakin concluded, when he escorted her to the hangers to get into a fighter jet; she had been requested of early and he saw Master Plo standing off to the side, speaking with the clones who were going to join him.

Anakin also noticed that Master Plo pointedly kept his back to him, but Anakin didn’t need to read his mind to know that the older man felt guilty.  He smiled to Ahsoka when she turned to wave goodbye to him as she climbed into her jet.

He stood there until she was no longer in sight and he heard someone clear their throat from behind him, Anakin saw it was Commander Rex, “Hey, Rex.”

“General,” Rex greeted.  “I’m glad to see that you’re looking better.”

“Yea, turns out I just needed to be in a coma for a while,” Anakin joked, but he saw that it had only made Rex pale out.  “Rex, I’m fine, I’m sorry.”

“I had no idea it had been that serious,” Rex responded.  “Apologies, Sir…I wish I had been able to get you to the medical wing faster.”

“I’m alive and well, you did fine,” Anakin nodded to him.  He clasped Rex on the shoulder, “Thank you for always having my back.”

“Of course, Sir, don’t forget little Tano, she’s practically your shadow,” Rex smiled and he saw Anakin’s gaze harden and he curiously tilted his head.

“Ahsoka is no longer my padawan,” Anakin muttered, glaring at an oil stain on the ground.  “The Jedi Council decided that Master Plo should take over for the remainder of her training.”

“General,” Rex stated off apologetically, but stopped when Anakin waved it off.

“Don’t worry about it, Commander,” Anakin shrugged.  “I let them know how displeased I was, but it won’t change their answer.”

Rex gave him a sympathetic look, “I am terribly sorry, but I know we will won’t away from her forever.”

Anakin could only hope with that statement as well.

~~~~

Obi-Wan gently stirred his tea, he was out at a local café in a calmer part of Coruscant, the lush scenery was soothing as well, which comforted him when he focused on Anakin’s self-loathing and anger; it was worrying, it seemed that he couldn’t catch a break.

He hummed softly, stroking at his beard thoughtfully; he wondered what would be Anakin’s snapping point, when he’d willingly leave the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan knew Anakin was bullheaded and Obi-Wan had patience, but it was Anakin’s wellbeing he was concerned for.  He was also worried for their future together, he didn’t like moments of selfishness, but he saw how his life would be if he had Anakin with him, and he yearned for the state of peace they’d both get when Anakin left the Jedi Order, when they could travel the galaxy together, find a home together, and start a family once they were officially settled.

An instinct strummed through his pulse, his blood felt like it was simmering with desire, he knew what could get Anakin to leave, but he’d never force that onto Anakin, not while he was still so new to Anakin; they could only bond how Obi-Wan wanted after there was nothing but trust between them, when Anakin desired no other companionship other than Obi-Wan’s.

A possessive feeling rose from within him and Obi-Wan sipped his tea, willing it back; Anakin was not something he could own, he was his own person, but even as he thought this, Obi-Wan wanted nothing but to keep him close and within sight at all times.

He exhaled heavily, allowing his eyes to lower until they were mostly shut, he relaxed his shoulders, calming his mind; Obi-Wan was no use to himself when his thoughts were all over the place.  He did take a quick look at Anakin’s Force again, it hadn’t changed much, he was still upset, but it wasn’t burning like fire anymore.

“My dearest, Ani,” Obi-Wan sighed softly in sympathy for him.  He finished his tea before rising from his chair and quietly left after disposing of his cup and walked languidly down the sidewalk, the cool air brushed against his face, he wished that he could do something to help, but he had made things…a little tense between them, by not being able to control his actions.

As he wandered back to his apartment, he mentally prepared himself for the mission that had been given to him, it was another simple assassination, a quick in and out thing, even if his target was a rich man, surrounded by guards, and would be undoubtfully flanked tonight as it was at an opera.

Well, at least he’d be able to dress nice.

~~~~

“Skywalker.”

Anakin stifled a sigh; it was Mace.  He turned around and waited for the older Jedi to stand before him, “Yes, Master?”

“Master Yoda has sensed Kenobi’s presence, we are uncertain if it’s a trap, but he is here, your task is to track him down and take him in,” Windu stated.

Anakin could have told him from the start that Obi-Wan was here, as the other man had been attacking at his signature all day, checking up on him.  He gave him a blank stare, “Of course, Master Windu.”

“Spend no more than three days during this tracking mission; Kenobi is a threat, especially when he’s bonded himself to you, he could use that to his advantage,” Windu informed him.

“Then why bother sending me at all?” Anakin demanded.  “If you think that he’d manipulate me, why not send someone else?” he asked, he would never back down from a challenge, but he was afraid of what he’d allow Obi-Wan to do to him, as the older man had some type of allure, and it wasn’t just because their Forces were combined.

“It’s a given fact that he won’t harm you,” Mace simply stated.  “Why sacrifice another Jedi when we’re certain that your outcome will be more significant.”

 _I’m nothing but a pawn to all of you._   Anakin’s mood darkened.

“This is an ASAP request, dismissed,” Mace stated before turning away from Anakin and heading down the hall.

Anakin concluded that he could zero fucks what the Council demanded of him.

Perhaps…he was better off leaving and Obi-Wan wasn’t even here to influence him to consider it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to post every other Sunday.
> 
> I'll also try to get the ball rolling, as I literally just finished putting this chapter together and chapter 7 is literally two paragraphs rn...OTL 
> 
> Thank you all for comments and kudos!!~

Anakin stood outside the temple, he closed his eyes and reached out for Obi-Wan this time, his signature was cloudy, like he was hiding himself, but Anakin could still reach out and feel him.

He immediately wondered why Obi-Wan was in the extremely wealthy part of Coruscant and his suspicions grew when he felt Obi-Wan become apologetic, “What are you up to?” he muttered to himself, heading to an underground tram station, he had a slight suspicion what Obi-Wan was doing and why he was being so secretive, and it wasn’t just because Obi-Wan had his tongue down his throat the day before.

Anakin sat in the furthest corner of the tram, he kept a watchful eye and kept his signature tight to him; he didn’t see or feel any threats, as most were just mothers with their children, or a group of young teenagers crowded with each other, probably sharing something illegal, but Anakin wasn’t going to judge, there were many times in his padawan years where he’d sneak to the lower rim and do some gambling with speeders or participate himself in a race.

As he approached the richer area of Coruscant, Obi-Wan’s signature became stronger and Anakin hopped off the next stop and headed towards the surface, he slightly crinkled his nose at the sight of the rich meandering around the streets, dressed lavishly, as if each of them were on a catwalk, even their pets had matching outfits; Anakin didn’t know to laugh or be slightly creeped out.

Anakin followed where he could feel Obi-Wan, he was approaching a large dome shaped building, the glass shimmered in different colors every few seconds, there were waving spotlights mounted at the top, and there was a steady stream of people trickling inside the building.

“Ani?”

Anakin turned away, his mood lightened when he saw Padmé standing off to the side, Senator Palpatine’s arm looped through her own, she looked stunning per usual, her dress reminded him of the colors of a desert sunset, the different shades of purple, orange, red, and yellow seamlessly blended together, her deep brown hair were in beautiful ringlets of curls, some were pulled up to rest on top of her head, and clipped there with a glittery tiara.

Padmé gave him a sweet smile, “What brings you here?”

“You know I wouldn’t be caught dead here, so I can only be here due to a mission,” Anakin mused.  He respectfully bowed his head to the elder man, “Good evening, Chancellor.”

“Ah, Anakin, good to see you again,” Palpatine greeted, a small, inviting smile on his old face.  “You have been terribly busy lately, haven’t you my boy?  I couldn’t get a hold of you as of late, to have tea together, discus how your life has been, and any troubles you’ve had.”

“You’re too kind, Chancellor,” Anakin bashfully murmured. 

Padmé laughed lightly at Anakin’s shy response, “Oh, Ani, you haven’t changed at all,” she politely untangled herself from the older man to pull Anakin into a warm hug, which Anakin happily returned.  She pulled away, but kept her hand resting in the crook of his arm; her small crush had always remained, Anakin’s shyness hadn’t changed when he received praise and had always been outgoing and supportive, but what really changed was his appearance, she could consider his looks to be illegal, and wondered if he was part fae.

Anakin had been so distracted that he had nearly forgotten why he was there in the first place until he felt a spike of jealousy, his eyes immediately lifted and he noticed that the Chancellor had reacted too, but he masked his curiosity at his observation, because there stood Obi-Wan, looking ridiculously attractive in a deep gray three-piece suit, and a matching bowtie was around the collar of his burgundy button up that was under his vest.

“Anakin, Darling, there you are,” Obi-Wan’s cool voice reached out to him.  He kept his face schooled as he approached the trio and stood at Anakin’s side and rested a hand on his shoulder, he chided softly, “I’m assuming you left in a rush from home without a suit, yes?  I suppose what you’re wearing will just have to do.”

“I, uh,” Anakin stammered, not knowing what to say.

Obi-Wan just smiled fondly, carting Anakin a little closer so that Padmé had to release her light grip on the Jedi, “Pleasure to meet you, but I’m afraid I did not catch your name,” his faux apology seemed real enough, but Anakin could feel his annoyance, and Anakin glowered at him, he had no right to be so cold to Padmé, who looked surprised and a little flustered.

“How could you not know Padmé without me mentioning her?  She’s the best Senator around,” Anakin frowned.

“Ah, Dear, you know I am not overly fond of politics, bloodsuckers, all of them, no offense, of course,” Obi-Wan drawled, looking over Padmé and Palpatine, who matched his steely gaze.

“Anakin, I don’t believe you’ve ever mentioned your…friend,” Palpatine’s gaze did not waver from Obi-Wan.

“He doesn’t prefer to mix his personal life and business life together,” Obi-Wan answered for Anakin, “thus why we’ve never met or heard of each other, my name is Ben by the way.”

Anakin tried to avoid Padmé’s studying gaze, so he simply nodded at what Obi-Wan was saying before forcing a sheepish expression on his face when he did look at her, “I’m sorry I didn’t mention him before.”

“Is he part of your mission?” Padmé asked.

“Yes, I am, the part I play is a prestigious rich man, while Anakin is my personal body guard, it would have been nicer if he wore the clothes I picked, but I suppose his Jedi robes will have to do,” Obi-Wan sighed, his grip on Anakin’s shoulder never relented.  He started to steer the younger man away, “We must be going, it was nice meeting you both.”

Anakin opened his mouth to protest, but he felt Obi-Wan’s annoyance and he said a hasty farewell to them before being bustled off inside the expansive opera house.  He felt himself being dragged to a remote area of the building before he pulled himself away, he glared at Obi-Wan, “What was that about?” he demanded.

“You’ll have to specify,” Obi-Wan replied, not looking at Anakin, he kept his gaze wandering over the people who seemed to glide on by, his gaze was focused, he was looking over exits, and anything that related to an escape.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin growled, he grabbed the man’s arm, “Tell me what your problem is.”

“Do you _really_ need for me to spell it out?” Obi-Wan drawled. 

“There wasn’t a reason for you to be such a jerk to Padmé, she and I are only _friends_ , nothing more,” Anakin huffed.  “I don’t know why you’re so jealous to begin with.  Jedi can’t have partners.”

At that, Obi-Wan did whip his solid attention to Anakin, turning so that Anakin was trapped between him and the wall in a remote corner, if anyone passing, it would just look like an intimate moment.  He glowered at Anakin, “You know that I desire your company, you would not have let me done anything when we were at my apartment if you did not feel attraction.”

“How do you know what I want?” Anakin demanded.

“You have a soft heart, Anakin,” Obi-Wan answered gently, gazing adoringly into Anakin’s eyes, trapping the younger, in a fluttery moment, and Anakin mentally agreed that he could get used to having Obi-Wan look at him like that.

The moment was ruined when Obi-Wan’s attention was diverted to what looked like a man, his skin was a mix between green and purple, his eyes were bright green, he seemed to be part reptile, he was in a stylish suit that was a deep blue, and had a lavender scarf wrapped around his neck, and he was flanked by four other larger reptilians.

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you,” Anakin didn’t make it a question. 

Obi-Wan at least attempted to look apologetic.  He started to shift away, “Darling, for your best interest, you should not be near me when I follow-through with this.”

“And it’s for your best interest that you don’t do this,” Anakin snapped.  “The Council asked of me to track you down and bring you back to them.”

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow at him, “Now they believe that I am alive and not just some dream illness you had?”

“Master Yoda felt your presence,” Anakin informed him, but his face stated that he wasn’t surprised.  “You let him, didn’t you?”

“My, you are observant, aren’t you?” Obi-Wan mused. 

“For what purpose did you do this?” Anakin asked him.  “Did you know that if they discovered you, they would send me?”

“That and I know I’ll at least have you for a few days, correct?” Obi-Wan’s smile was practically wolfish.

Anakin blinked in astonishment, “You’re playing them.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan was smug.  “Think of it as a mini vacation, I’ll of course, give you something for your troubles and so that your mission wasn’t a complete waste.”

Anakin shook his head in exasperation.

“My first gift to you is a drink,” Obi-Wan said.  “Let’s get that first and to our seats.”

“You bought tickets?” Anakin asked and he was passed a pale pink ticket decorated with yellow and pink roses along the border of it and with the opera singer’s name in fancy cursive above the seat number he was given.

“Let’s go, shall we?” Obi-Wan said, gently guiding Anakin away from the wall and to a bar that was a little down the expansive hall.

As they walked, Anakin attempted to keep himself calm as they walked by Obi-Wan’s money prize, he felt Obi-Wan’s reassuring presence brush against him and he subconsciously leaned closer to him, feeling the older rest his hand on the small of Anakin’s back, guiding him and grounding him as they passed the intergalactic specimen.

When they reached the bar, Anakin stood off to the side while Obi-Wan ordered their drinks.  He had watched Obi-Wan’s target, saw him enter a private elevator, which Anakin assumed to get to his box seats and he wondered how Obi-Wan was going to get to his target without causing an uproar.  His musings were disrupted by a drink being guided into his hand and he was already drinking whatever it was, it was sweet and had a pleasant lingering aftertaste and he heard Obi-Wan hum softly as he guided them to an elevator that was close by.

The elevator doors slid open silently, the elevator operator stood by, waiting for them to step in to take them to their designated floor.

“Darling, would you mind waiting for me up at the top?” Obi-Wan paused at the waiting elevator, passing Anakin his drink, giving a show to pat at his blazer and his slack pockets.  “I may have forgotten my glasses in our cruiser, how foolish of me.”

Anakin nodded, “I know I reminded you, but you tend to tune me out these days, honestly, are you _that_ bored of me?”

The man standing there cracked a pleasant smile at their bickering.

“Never, never even after I grow old, deaf, and blind,” Obi-Wan smiled lovingly, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, “to the end of the galaxy, my Darling.”

Anakin could only nod at that, his stomach was flipping and his heart threatened to explode in his chest, he shakily got onto the elevator and gave the employee his ticket and he took Anakin to the appropriate floor in less than ten seconds and Anakin then was chauffeured to his seat; he noticed that out of the six seats open, he was the only one there.

He wondered how long it was going to be before Obi-Wan would come back, Anakin could easily see the targeted man, two of his guards stood in the shadows, lined against the door, and Anakin could only assume the other two were outside the door, keeping guard as well.

The odds of Obi-Wan getting reported for suspicious behavior were slim to none, as Anakin was the only one up here in the dark and two, the elevator runners were constantly shifted out, so it wouldn’t be the same employee who helped Anakin.

Well, he had a whole drink and a half to finish, he might as well take advantage of it.

Anakin’s gaze sweeps over the layout, there are common seats below him, he wonders where Padmé and Palpatine are and desperately hopes that they are out of harm’s way.  He finishes the second drink without a thought, the most he feels is a slight tingle in his fingertips and decides immediately that it’s not enough when the show on the hovering stage has begun.

He isn’t for certain on how much time has passed, but he suddenly feels a flare on Obi-Wan’s side and Anakin nearly rises from his seat in distress, and looks over to where the soon to be dead rich man is.  Anakin notes that he doesn’t look alarmed, as it is rather difficult to hear anything over the singer’s long, trilling notes that reach high frequency, the man takes a long sip from his drink, unaware of Obi-Wan’s outlined figure in the dark that is directly behind him, Anakin can see his Force outline, he’s changed into something more practical for murder, and he squirms at the thought of knowing what is about to go down and he’s _literally_ going to do nothing about it.

Everyone is too busy focusing on the beautiful star on stage, who is singing proudly, while dressed to the nine-yards in a glamorous, glittering gown that entraps the eye of the beholder, while the viewers are all mystified, only two are completely aware of what just happened, Anakin witnessing the murder and Obi-Wan who caused it.

When the instruments harmonize to conclude the first song to be over, Obi-Wan stands proud over his kill, his eyes meet Anakin’s, even from across the large theater, Anakin can see the lust of the kill, feel the adrenalin rushing through his veins as if it’s his own, the victorious song trilling through his very entity, and Anakin isn’t for certain how he’s going to react if Obi-Wan comes back over to where he is.

Obi-Wan vanishes from sight, the feelings that coursed through Anakin dim somewhat and he realizes with sick horror that even though most of them were from Obi-Wan projecting, the lingering proudness was only Anakin’s to claim.

~~~~

“I hope I didn’t neglect you, it was a little stuffy to get where I needed to be,” Obi-Wan apologized when he dropped into the seat next to Anakin with careful grace, dressed in his three-piece suit again, and brought fresh drinks and offered Anakin one, who downed it in less than a heartbeat.  Obi-Wan only raised a curious eyebrow, but didn’t mention it, “How was the first part of the show?”

The question had a double meaning.

Anakin shivered as Obi-Wan’s lips brushed his ear far more than necessary; he tried to will himself not to squirm at the contact.  He averted his gaze, “It was fine,” Anakin muttered, not for sure how to properly answer.

“These are not your favorite pastimes, are they?” Obi-Wan asked, his body was angled towards Anakin and he silently enjoyed that the Jedi had moved himself from the front row to the last back row and in the corner, cornering himself, and Obi-Wan wondered if it had been willingly, or to try to avoid looking at the place that Obi-Wan had taken his kill; he’ll keep the tidbit to himself that he had severed the head and completed the transaction with his buyer in a private smoking chamber.

Anakin shook his head, he didn’t see the coquettish smirk on Obi-Wan’s face, but he did feel the warm hand creeping up his thigh, parting the robes that had now fallen on either side of his legs, his attention snapped to Obi-Wan, a protest about to spill through when Obi-Wan silenced him with a kiss, he felt his eyes flutter shut, his mouth parted slightly and Obi-Wan’s tongue went over his own a couple times; he could taste the bitter liquor that Obi-Wan drank, it clashed with the berry aftertaste of his own, but Anakin couldn’t find it in himself to pull away.

Obi-Wan threaded his fingers in Anakin’s thick hair, he guided the Jedi into his lap, the large plush seats held them both perfectly, Anakin still had leg room, allowing him to fully sink into Obi-Wan’s lap as he straddled him, Obi-Wan pushed Anakin’s robes from his shoulders as they kissed, he heard Anakin whine softly in the back of his throat when the black robes had been pushed to the carpet, and Obi-Wan tangled his fingers into Anakin’s hair once more, while his free hand crept under Anakin’s tunic.

“Wait!” Anakin gasped, ripping himself away from the elder, he pulled away so fast that Anakin had actually toppled backwards, almost braining himself on the seat in front of them.

“Are you all right?” Obi-Wan asked, moving to lean forward to pull Anakin close to him again, he checked the Jedi’s head, even as Anakin tried to move away from him.  “Darling, stop wiggling around so much, you might be hurt,” Obi-Wan chided him, gently combing through the wavy locks.

“Stop it, Obi-Wan,” Anakin hissed, his eyes watered in both pain and embarrassment.  He let out another soft whine against his will when Obi-Wan tilted his chin up to get a proper look at his face, he might have been young, but he knew a lustful look when he saw one, and he jerked his head away from Obi-Wan’s gentle hold.

“You’re quite the sight,” Obi-Wan murmured lowly, his eyes in a swirl between his collected self and dark desire.

Anakin’s Adam’s apple bobbed and he quickly got off his knees, moving to stand and headed towards the exit; he couldn’t handle this, because he _wanted_ this, but he was also conflicted, as he wanted to stay a Jedi, to continue to help others and fight a battle for them.

“Forgive me,” Obi-Wan sighed miserably.  “There’s no excuse to why I lose my self-control around you.  I’ve made you unhappy and I do not want you to be uncomfortable around me.”

Anakin shyly looked at him, “It’s hard not to be intimidated,” he admitted softly, “you’re everything I am trained to be, but you have so much more power and experience, you’re able to flaunt who and what you are if you wanted…”

“I could teach you Anakin, and only a fool exposes himself like that,” Obi-Wan stated.  He wanted to draw the young man closer to him, but knew it was best only to look and not touch.

Anakin swallowed heavily, “I can’t…”

“Don’t reject how you feel, embrace those emotions, it’s not wrong,” Obi-Wan said, rising to stand with Anakin, all he could focus on was him, everything else was drowned out, it honestly hurt his very soul to see Anakin so conflicted.

Anakin didn’t shy away when Obi-Wan took his hand, the comfort that had only been coming from their bond had increased with physical contact, “I know I’m the worst Jedi, I’m too emotional and can’t keep myself together, I could tell that Master Qui-Gon adored you, he was destroyed when you weren’t his padawan anymore, but even still, how were you able to just…let it all go?  To leave everything behind and be all alone?” he asked quietly.

Obi-Wan guided Anakin to sit back down, he didn’t have to lean so close into Anakin’s space, as the singer was taking a short break, his earlier heist was still undiscovered, so he had no worries with taking his time with this conversation.  His fingers were still locked with Anakin’s and he squeezed his hand gently, “Because, it was something that I needed to do, Master Qui-Gon was saddened, but he understood; I had a reason to leave, he wanted to leave as well, but he couldn’t do that to the Order, I had no sympathy for them; it wasn’t difficult to leave, but I will admit it was difficult to let go of Master Qui-Gon.”

Anakin looked down at the carpet under his feet in silence.

“It’s your padawan you’re worried about, isn’t it?  Are you afraid that she’ll be turned against you?” Obi-Wan asked him.

“Her and my troops, I don’t ever want to encounter them out on the field if they’ve been ordered to kill me,” Anakin whispered.  He let out a quiet sigh, “They redacted all of your history, who you were, the generation below yours doesn’t know who you are, hell, I doubt even some your generation know who you are.  How could they easily wipe away someone’s existence?  Would they do the same to me or would they personally come for me?”

Obi-Wan hummed softly at that, “Your first step for them is to avoid all contact, I would keep you safely hidden away, no one could track you, which they would undoubtfully do, as you are their _Hero with No Fear_ , aren’t you?”

Anakin’s cheeks reddened, “That’s just a stupid title.  They already think that you have some type of hold on me, which is why they sent me out here, and you used that against them.  They would hunt you down and drag me back, either for imprisonment or death.”

“Can you be so annoyed about that?” Obi-Wan asked cheekily.  His attitude changed only moments later, “I would kill them before they could take you away.”

“You said you wouldn’t hurt brothers in arms,” Anakin reminded, his blood chilled slightly at the honesty in Obi-Wan’s voice, the way his eyes didn’t change to a molten orange for once, but remained an icy shade of blue; his promise wasn’t made from anger, but from honesty.

“They are no mutual of mine, nor am I to them,” Obi-Wan stated.  “Quinlan Vos is an ally, but no one directly from the Order, other than you, are anyone I can tolerate.”

Anakin jumped slightly when the opera singer had started once again, he looked at Obi-Wan, but the older man’s eyes held no remorse for what he said, he saw that Obi-Wan was serious, “You’d kill at Jedi?”

“I’ve yet to do so, but I would,” Obi-Wan looked back to the performance; clearly the conversation was done by his standards.

Anakin turned his attention back to the slaughter zone; he could vaguely see the target’s beheaded body slumped over in its seat, a shiver raced through him, he side-eyed Obi-Wan, watching him take a sip of his drink, his attention captivated by the song; it was hard to believe that this gentle looking man could cause such harm, and Anakin didn’t believe he had the willpower to stop him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise they'll do the do shortly.
> 
> Thank you all for reading/leaving kudos/commenting!!! c:

Anakin stirred when he felt himself being jostled and he blinked open his eyes and found Obi-Wan kneeling in front of him, “What’s the matter?” he slurred.

“The entertainment is over, Anakin,” Obi-Wan chuckled, fondly brushing back Anakin’s stray bangs that fell into his face.  “My, I don’t know how you slept.”

“Wasn’t that hard, Master Windu’s harping is about the same,” Anakin murmured, eyes still heavily lidded.

Obi-Wan laughed and he shook his head fondly, he offered Anakin a hand to help him stand that the still exhausted Jedi took without a second thought.  Obi-Wan hummed happily to have Anakin so close to his side, “I suppose you’ll want to skip dinner then?”

“I’ll wake up,” Anakin promised as he collected his previously shed robe and pulled it back on.

The older man was content to walk leisurely with Anakin at his side in silence, he had his hand on Anakin’s back again, guiding him through the crowd to the exit, which they had almost been there when he sensed a darker presence that he had only felt around with his most former master, Dooku, and his gaze cut sharply down the hall where he saw Senator Amidala and the Chancellor; he caught Palpatine’s steel gaze, and Obi-Wan’s brow slightly furrowed and his curiosity only sparked when the much older man looked away, his attention caught by the young Senator.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked, looking down where the former Jedi had been looking, but he didn’t see or sense anything of the abnormal.  He felt Obi-Wan’s fingers bunch into his robe and he was being pushed forward again, but this time, with a little more urgency.

“Apologies, Darling,” Obi-Wan said, catching the lightly concerned stare Anakin gave him.  He took them down the sidewalk, passing by people who had also attended the same show at them, he tuned out their mindless chatter, Anakin wasn’t paying them much attention either; Obi-Wan was still trying to link what he sensed with memories of the past, but was pulled back from his thoughts when he no longer felt Anakin at his side, which had him in a near panic, until he saw him just around the corner, standing at a street vendor, looking over the short menu.

“Anakin, I thought we were going for dinner?” Obi-Wan questioned once he was stood by the Jedi.

Anakin merely gave him a side glance, “Yea, I did too, until your presence became choking and you weren’t responding and I didn’t really feel like fighting you in public.”

“I’ve been known to be lost in train of thought, I hadn’t meant to aggravate you,” Obi-Wan replied.  He wrinkled his nose when he could smell the deep fryer starting up after Anakin had ordered, “You’ll ruin your appetite,” he chided.

“My stomach is a blackhole, this is nothing,” Anakin replied; he was too busy being shocked at the fact that such a high-quality town had a street vendor.  He finally did look at Obi-Wan, he could feel the guilt coming from him, “What has you worked up?  Finally feeling guilty for killing that man or do you think you left a trail?”

Obi-Wan couldn’t tell if Anakin was being hostile with him, as the younger did look offended most of the time, “Nothing of that sort, I’ll have you know that I am a professional at what I do.”

Anakin scoffed and turned away from him to collect…whatever he ordered that was deep fried and on a stick.

“So, you are annoyed,” Obi-Wan drawled out, folding his arms and gave Anakin a curious stare.

“Sorry that I’m upset for willingly let you go and assassinate someone,” Anakin hissed lowly as they walked away from the vendor.  “It’s not like it went against everything that I was taught.”

Obi-Wan didn’t take to the bait, he ignored the attitude and the accusation, instead, he let Anakin simmer in his own self-anger, anger towards himself for feeling as if he failed his duty as a Jedi.  He hid his amusement when he caught Anakin tearing into his heart attack on a stick like a starved loth-cat, “Well get dinner shortly, anything of preference?” Obi-Wan asked, changing the subject.

Anakin shrugged at him dismissively, “I’m fine with street food.”

Obi-Wan looked sickened; he could barely tolerate Dex’s food at this age now, he wasn’t a young Padawan that could bounce back without getting heartburn anymore.  He hummed to himself, “Perhaps I could just produce a dinner at home,” he murmured to himself.  Obi-Wan rarely cooked nowadays, as he didn’t have the time, or was jumping to different locations for missions, but for Anakin, he’d try his best, even if it was as simple as pasta, judging from Anakin’s taste in food vendors and probably getting most of his substance from the cafeteria from the Temple, Anakin probably hadn’t had a homemade meal in a while.

Anakin finished off his stick food before tossing the grease stained stick into a nearby trashcan, he glanced over to Obi-Wan, “So, what’s the plan?”

“How about a homecooked meal?” Obi-Wan suggested.  “You’re certainly not the type to wait around in a restaurant or seem to want to be served lavish meals that require six different utensils to eat with.”

“Sure, because you’re right about that,” Anakin agreed.  He frowned, trying to recall the last fancy dinner he went to, which was three years ago, when he was 20, having a dinner with Padmé on Naboo, when the Senator tried to keep him distracted from his former master’s death.

Obi-Wan gave him an easy smile and beckoned him to follow towards the underground tram and waved his hand, allowing them to pass through the ticket booth without paying.

Anakin raised an eyebrow at that, but kept his mouth shut.  Just another thing to add to Anakin’s growing list of concerns of why was he willingly to be around this man and not going to turn him over to the Jedi Order.  When he glanced over to Obi-Wan when they had sat down, Obi-Wan had a neutral expression, but Anakin could feel an underlining of curiosity, “Yes?”

Obi-Wan hummed softly, “It’s nothing that I desire to know, but just simply interesting on your end that you’ve willingly gone with me this far without so much as a hiss or ignited lightsaber.  Despite being somewhat familiar with you through the Force, I’ve heard your reputation was something off the scale.”

Anakin sheepishly looked away from the amused expression the older man gave him, “I…uh, had a slight track record as a padawan, Master Qui-Gon tried to teach me how to cool it somewhat, but…my judgement of how I felt about the whole ordeal won over any logic my master had taught me.  If something doesn’t feel right or if how it’s being done isn’t working, I improvise.”

“And you have no need to change the outcome of this meeting between you and I?” Obi-Wan asked, clearing fishing for something of the young Jedi.

Anakin did catch onto that and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “If you’re asking how I feel with you…I’m not entirely sure, given to your…hobbies.”

“Understandable, Darling,” Obi-Wan reassured him, “I know that I would have loved to meet you in different circumstances, but as of late, I cannot complain.”

Anakin was starting to wish for the same, he could feel the appeal of Obi-Wan, wanting to know much more about him, but afraid of what he would learn or not understand.  He toyed with the hem of his cloak, “Obi-Wan…is your only plan to sway me from the Order?” he asked a little hesitantly.  If this question did irk the elder man, Anakin wasn’t for sure how he was to fight in a tightly enclosed area, he had a feeling he wouldn’t like the outcome.

“No, I have no plan to do such thing, I am simply suggesting that your life choices to remain under them is not something that you should consider,” Obi-Wan responded. 

“So…a fancier way of saying “leave the order,” or what?” Anakin said, turning to study Obi-Wan’s expressions, which didn’t give anything away, even their bond was calm.

“Or nothing, Anakin, I won’t force you to do anything,” Obi-Wan stated with a small shrug.  “If you’re thinking that the only reason I left the Jedi Order was so that I could meet you like this, it wasn’t; I also left because I was unhappy with the Jedi, I could not live that way.”

Anakin nodded at that answer, he didn’t speak for the remainder of the trip, which he could detect was not unwelcome, but Obi-Wan wasn’t rejecting any conversation if Anakin wanted to talk or ask about anything.

Instead, Anakin was left in his own thoughts, trying to process where he, himself, would stand in the future, with the Jedi Order, or with Obi-Wan, hopefully to train and learn with him and find a balance of his own.

Anakin found himself sitting in the same armchair as before, he pointedly ignored the couch, Obi-Wan had made him tea, sweeter than what Obi-Wan preferred, but Anakin only kept sweet things down, as his high metabolism mixed with his high count of midichlorians, Anakin could break anything down; he felt rather gifted and happy that he could literally eat whatever he wanted.

Obi-Wan occasionally popped back out of the kitchen just to check the news, his latest assassin had officially been reported, in the background, they both saw the body under a sheet, being carted away into a van; Obi-Wan’s face betrayed nothing, while Anakin’s looked grim.

Anakin didn’t dare look at Obi-Wan, he preoccupied himself with sipping at his tea, while wondering if he should report in to Master Windu, but decided against it, as he didn’t even have a story, other than the fact that he let Obi-Wan kill an innocent man and was now letting the assassin prepare dinner for him as if this was a normal part of their day if they were a normal, domestic couple.

He grumbled angrily at that.

“Dinner is finished, darling,” came Obi-Wan’s voice from the kitchen.

 _Well, we act like a domestic something._ Anakin thought as he moved to assist Obi-Wan to carry plates into the dining area that was next to the kitchen.  After helping, he waited until Obi-Wan was sitting to join him and took to simple conversation while they loaded up their plates with pasta, garlic bread, and salad; it was simple, but Anakin thought it was fine, he didn’t need a large, elaborate dinner to be impressed, as Obi-Wan could have literally just taken them to get fast food and Anakin would have content.

“What would you like to do tomorrow?” Obi-Wan asked after they had settled, he sipped his wine after pouring Anakin a glass as well.

“I’m not familiar with this area too much, I tend to go into the lower rim to bargain with speeder parts; I tinker in my free time,” Anakin shrugged.

“That’s a dangerous area for Jedi,” Obi-Wan hummed, but he was still smiling faintly to learn a hobby that Anakin enjoyed.  “But, I suppose I’ll join you, if you prefer that…than some training.”

“Training?” Anakin echoed, raising an eyebrow at him.

“You like to learn, don’t you?  I’d also feel better if you had some additional skills for the attack or defense,” Obi-Wan told him.  “Threats are rising high, young one, I don’t want you caught between a rock and a hard place if you don’t think that you’ll escape unharmed.”

Anakin eyed him, absentmindedly twirling his fork into his pasta, “Is there something that I should know…regarding the Sith?”

Obi-Wan looked a little disgruntled, “Nothing more than you already know…but it’s surprising that the Counsel hasn’t acted yet on anything.  Surely you can feel that the Force is…clouded, well, more than usual.”

“Do you think that there’s going to be another attack?” Anakin frowned.

“I wouldn’t say that, but even some Sith lords are…discomforted with what is going on; they don’t know what is happening either, it just feels like something is going to burst,” Obi-Wan sighed.

Anakin stored away that information; he’d keep himself on high alert, he’d also make sure that Ahsoka would be okay when she would go out on missions; it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Master Plo, Anakin just had a protective streak that never really faded.

“Anakin, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Obi-Wan apologized, frowning, feeling the way Anakin’s aura had locked down slightly, he could feel a slight brush of paranoia coasting through their bond.

“No, it’s fine,” Anakin shook his head.  “I just…get overly worried about this stuff sometimes.”

“I’m always here to listen,” Obi-Wan promised him, allowing a warm touch to blend between them, he could feel Anakin’s gratefulness, by the shy blush on his cheeks, and the way he averted his gaze.

Dinner passed smoothly between them, Anakin helped clean up after shedding his robes and Obi-Wan had taken the dark robe and hung it on a rack.  They continued to chatter to each other, joking softly, shy and flustered looks from Anakin, and endearing and thoughtful looks from Obi-Wan.

After they had finished cleaning up, Anakin settled easily on the couch, leaning gently against Obi-Wan, who didn’t mind in the slightest.

Obi-Wan could feel that Anakin was starting to doze off and he chuckled softly, he heard Anakin’s sleepy murmuring at him in question, but the older man just ran a hand through Anakin’s thick, wavy hair in response, before having the Jedi tucked against his side.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin’s eyes were half lidded, he forced himself to be more aware of the situation; he could always feel a low burning of desire buried deep from within Obi-Wan, even if the former Jedi thought he was unaware. 

“Yes?” Obi-Wan questioned, tilting his head to the side slightly.  He didn’t think he was going to get an answer, so he suggested that Anakin head to bed.

“Right, I need to leave,” Anakin nodded.  He would return to the Temple without getting caught, he was practically a professional at it now.  Anakin sleepily rose from his position, but halted when Obi-Wan told him no, and Anakin gave him a confused expression.

“You can rest here, take my bed, I can sleep on the couch, plus I prefer it anyway; it’s easier to hear things out here and be observant,” Obi-Wan stated, ushering Anakin down the unlit hall and to the bedroom that was at the end.

Anakin was fighting with himself at this point, between being a prude and giving into what he wanted at the thought of a bed that could be used for other activities; it didn’t help that he and Obi-Wan had cleared two bottles of red wine that was sweet and potent, it also didn’t help that he had learned about Obi-Wan, he learned that the former Jedi had a rather dark sense of humor, he enjoyed meditating nearly more than Yoda, he had weakness for poetry, a slight fear of flying—Anakin fondly teased him about it— and he had a deep love for adventure.  Anakin also liked how straightforward Obi-Wan was, how he demanded the attention when it was desired and how he could fall off the radar if he preferred to observe, he was still a little unnerved with how calm and collected the elder was, like he could learn someone just by looking at them, other than speaking to them; Obi-Wan was a mysterious gentleman with interesting quirks and a dark side.

“You’re shivering, are you cold?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I’m okay,” Anakin hastily answered, he saw that Obi-Wan didn’t believe him and he quickly settled under the covers, he told himself to settle down, push away the conflicting feelings that bubbled strongly, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to dim everything.

A firm hand carded through his hair before resting on the back of his neck reassuringly and Anakin bit at his bottom lip until he could almost taste blood.  Anakin nervously turned around, feeling the grasp on him slacken and let go, and he looked up, he didn’t know what Obi-Wan saw, but he could certainly _feel_ the approval in Obi-Wan and he swallowed dryly before mentally pulling at Obi-Wan.

The seemed to be the only encouragement that Obi-Wan needed, because the following moment, he rained down onto Anakin like a man dying of thirst.  It was easy to shove away the blankets that Anakin had covered himself with, he pushed his hands under Anakin’s tunic that slid up his tanned body, he felt each ticklish tremor run through the Jedi and Obi-Wan grinned easily at that.

“Don’t tickle me,” Anakin grumped.

“I’ll try not to irritate you…much,” Obi-Wan mused.  He settled easily between Anakin’s still clothed legs, he leaned forward to capture him into a kiss that Anakin easily went along with, melting back against the mattress and let Obi-Wan control the moment.

Anakin hummed softly in the back of his throat when Obi-Wan gripped the back of his head, fingers pulling taut in his hair, making him arch his head back.  He shivered pleasantly when Obi-Wan rutted down against him, grinding against him, he turned his head away, causing the elder to press scratchy kisses down Anakin’s neck, “ _Obi-Wan_ ,” Anakin sighed, carding his fingers through Obi-Wan’s hair, before trailing his fingers down Obi-Wan’s bareback; he couldn’t remember when Obi-Wan had shucked the majority of his clothes off except for his loose-leggings.

“Trust me on something, won’t you?” Obi-Wan murmured.  He smiled softly when Anakin gave him a hesitant nod, “Trust me,” he whispered, kissing Anakin gently.  Obi-Wan skated his fingers carefully down Anakin’s sides, chuckling when Anakin squirmed, “Relax, Darling.”

Anakin let out a shaky breath when Obi-Wan’s warm hands settled under his ribcage, he looked up at Obi-Wan, smiling softly, his immediate train of thought was broken when a strong rippling force was pushing through him, caressing him slowly, in a sensational grace that had his toes curling and a soft moan escaped him.

“Good, yes?” Obi-Wan crooned.  He could feel Anakin trembling under his fingertips, the warm flush that became stronger with each pleasuring wave of force that he released through Anakin’s body.  Obi-Wan felt lust burn low in his gut when Anakin arched under his touch, “Just relax and feel, my dear.”

Anakin thought he was going to blackout from the sensation, he could only gasp, moan, and keen with each wave of pleasure that swept through him, his eyes watered pleasantly, he swallowed thickly when Obi-Wan’s hands traced down his body; Anakin practically vibrated when Obi-Wan leaned back down to kiss him softly.

“My sweetest darling,” Obi-Wan murmured, carding his fingers through Anakin’s hair gently.  He nipped softly at Anakin’s neck, rasping his tongue across the forming bitemarks, and Anakin’s cry had him humming lowly, starting a steady rut against him that Anakin was easily keeping up with.

Anakin whined lowly when he could feel himself getting close, he grabbed at Obi-Wan’s waistband and dipped his fingers under the hem going to push them down, which was his plan until he was distracted by Obi-Wan’s comm beeping consistently.

Obi-Wan’s head shot up from where he was eagerly necking Anakin and he glowered at the device, “What now?” he groaned.  He regretfully pulled away from the Jedi, “Forgive me, my darling,” Obi-Wan murmured, kissing Anakin twice before rolling off him and leaned off the side of the bed to dig through his tunic pockets and pulled the comm to audio only.  “Kenobi, here.”

“Obi-Wan, I have a mission for you.”

Anakin froze and then turned to give Obi-Wan an accusing stare.

It was Dooku.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I apologize for the day delay/short chapter T~T I've run into some writer's block...so I've been writing some one-shots in between this fic so that I can mix up the game plan. My brain works in rather odd ways, when I write something new, I can't think of a single idea, but I can for that fic that I haven't touched in 3 years....
> 
> Anyway, I promise to stop with the teasing!! c; Thank you to those of you who comment or leave kudos or both!~

Anakin, to his annoyance, found himself becoming steadily sober by each second and that every pleasant feeling him was crashing burning between anger and defensiveness when Dooku continued to speak; he still had Obi-Wan between his clothed legs and he was glaring up at the elder, who had slapped a hand over Anakin’s mouth, when he was about to start snarling at the Sith over the comm.

“Count Dooku,” Obi-Wan cut in coolly when the much older Sith kept yammering on about needing Obi-Wan to come with him to a far outer rim to a mineral invested planet that could have great potential regarding to resources.

“Yes, Obi-Wan?” Dooku hummed lowly a little annoyed to be interrupted.

“As much as I would enjoy helping you, Count Dooku, I have a long queue of missions in process,” Obi-Wan slowly released his hand from over Anakin’s mouth, after giving him a stern look, and Anakin turned his head away, panting to regain his breath as he had been slightly suffocated.

There was a long pause from Dooku’s end that had Anakin starting to sweat in panic, thinking that Dooku knew that he was here, but Obi-Wan just glared at the comm during the silence.

“…I see,” came Dooku’s delayed response.  “Perhaps I will push this mission back, until further notice.”

Anakin could see that Obi-Wan was collectively losing his cool, he gently ran a hand down Obi-Wan’s side, earning an appreciative look.

“Of course, Count Dooku, apologies on my end, had I known that you needed assistance, I would have left a gap in my very busy schedule,” Obi-Wan drawled, not even bothering to conceal his eye-roll that had Anakin struggling to fight back an amused giggle.

“Right…until your next availability, Apprentice,” Dooku muttered and disconnected the transmission.

Anakin grew somber at what Dooku called him, it made a phantom pain twinge through where his mechanical arm resided now, he unconsciously clenched it, which Obi-Wan noticed the movement.

“I understand your malice towards him,” Obi-Wan murmured softly, brushing gentle fingers across Anakin’s brow.

“I don’t understand how you trained under him,” Anakin huffed.  “He murdered our former master and he took my arm,” Anakin continued lowly, glaring at the ceiling.

“Believe me, I nearly killed him myself, when I learned of this,” Obi-Wan told him, eyes shimmering with gold at his inner turmoil.  “Master Qui-Gon had been trained by Count Dooku, I still vaguely recall seeing Count Dooku around the Temple when I had been a youngling, he was a bleak as he is now…but he stood correct of the Jedi Order; it’s corrupt.”

The proper Jedi in Anakin nearly scratched free, but he held his tongue; he wasn’t in the mood to fight Obi-Wan, he could read that the older man was eager to get back to where they once were, Anakin didn’t have any protest against it, he welcomed the warmth that overcame him when Obi-Wan settled against him again, their lips barely brushed when Obi-Wan’s comm chirped again and they both let out annoyed groans.

“Excuse me,” Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand through his mused hair and snatched the damned device and stalked out into the hall, the door shutting behind him with a soft hiss.

Anakin rolled onto his belly, burying his face against the pillow and let out a soft sigh, his eyes drooped heavily as he was submerged by the gentle scent that was Obi-Wan, through his groggy state, Anakin felt a peacefulness wrap around him; he vaguely recalled this scent.  Behind closed eyelids, Anakin felt the memory pull at him, he was looking up, but the sun was in his eyes, the tall figure before him was shadowed, but he could faintly see a warm smile, a soothing voice, a kind hand running through his wheat colored hair, then a warm embrace, a promise of protection murmured into his hair, before a feeling of loss and the air became stifled.

The bitter part of the memory was lost to Anakin, when he faintly felt a warm hand running down his back, the low murmuring voice near him, before feeling the blanket being tugged further up his back, to rest across his shoulders and then he fell into darkness, feeling safe.

~~~~

Anakin awoke feeling that something was a little off, he sleepily blinked and rolled onto his side, where his eyes slowly focused onto a smooth expanse of bare chest in front of him, he tilted his head up and found Obi-Wan looking at him, his eyes a calm gray today, “Hmm?” was Anakin’s weak question.

“You slept all through the night, not even one twitch from you, which worried me, so I wanted to watch over you, just in case,” Obi-Wan said softly, not wanting to speak too loud to disturb the moment.  He slowly lifted his hand to cup the underside of Anakin’s jaw, his thumb ran soothingly along the smooth skin of his cheekbone, “Would you like some breakfast, or just lounge here for a little while longer?”

The question was answered by Anakin snuggling closer, tucking his face against Obi-Wan’s neck; he grumbled softly as he was shook from Obi-Wan’s low rumble of laughter, but had a warm arm coiling around his back and he was cocooned in with warmth and he was quick to nod back off, while Obi-Wan hummed softly, an old folk tune that Anakin remembered from his early childhood.

Obi-Wan pressed a warm kiss to the top of Anakin’s head and let his eyes wander around his room sleepily, it was early morning, but Coruscant was a rather bright planet, he could feel Anakin’s signature becoming dormant again, a sleepy, blue line against his own, which soothed him that he could bring Anakin comfort in a way that he knew his beloved had never felt after coming to the Jedi Temple to be trained.

His heart hurt when he heard the news of his former Master’s death, he remembered feeling his life source flickering out of existence, felt it wrap with the Force around them, before dissipating, but what he could feel more than anything during that time was Anakin’s grief; the boy was more Force than human on days when he was an emotional wreck, and without a doubt, Obi-Wan knew that every Force sensitive being was effected by Anakin’s grief, even after months of Qui-Gon’s passing, there was a lingering hurt in the Force that could be felt if one truly searched for it.

But now, everything was at peace, Obi-Wan wanted to keep it that way, he was so intertwined with Anakin’s wellbeing, he knew that he’d be able to know how Anakin was feeling, even if they were galaxies away; he could only imagine what it would be like if Anakin had children.

A low desire to find out tugged at Obi-Wan; he was only a living creature, it was an unconscious need to find a potential partner to settle with, mate with, and continue on their bloodline; he knew that Anakin was capable, his very aura sung with life, the ability to bring more into the world.  Obi-Wan curled a protective arm around Anakin, hearing a copesetic sigh; he nuzzled the top of Anakin’s head, the soft locks tickled his nose, he breathed in the scent that was Anakin, it was a freshness of air that one desired after being cooped underground or inside for too long.

Obi-Wan wondered if Anakin knew that he was different from every other Force user in the galaxy; he didn’t want to bring it up, if it would cause conflict to the Jedi, and Obi-Wan could be patient if he willed himself to be, but he would admit that sometimes it was difficult to refuse Anakin, when the very life around him would be flourishing in his presence, which made him glow, or how graceful with power he was during battle.

He reminisced the first battle they had, how awed he had been by Anakin’s grace, his structure on how he handled the situation; Obi-Wan hadn’t been for certain at the time if that was Anakin, he felt foolish for thinking that there was another entity like Anakin.  He looked down at the wonderful person encased in his arms; Anakin held so much potential that it saddened him that the Jedi Order was holding him back, as Anakin could be the perfect balance between the light and the dark side, where he could be at peace with himself, no longer having a power struggle to prove himself to others that he could be trusted; Anakin could just _be_.

Obi-Wan’s yearnful ponderings were disturbed when he felt Anakin shift, a soft murmur escaping the Jedi before he met sleepy blue eyes that were still foggy, “Good morning, dear one,” he greeted Anakin soothingly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pin you down,” Anakin said, realizing the position that he was half slumped on Obi-Wan now; the older man told him not to worry about it.  He wiggled from Obi-Wan’s hold and felt a light brush of reluctance, “I’m just going to the ‘fresher,” Anakin stated, but he still gave him a tired smile.

“I shall go make breakfast, then we can go explore some, does that sound all right?” Obi-Wan suggested, easing himself out of bed and stretched lazily.

Anakin tried hard not to stare as he nodded dumbly before scurrying off the refresher; his cheeks and ears burned when he heard Obi-Wan fondly chuckling at his nervousness.  When he finished taking care of business, washed his hands, and finished brushing his teeth with a packaged spare toothbrush he found, Anakin felt more presentable, even if his hair was a little rumpled and he still looked on the verge of falling back to sleep; Obi-Wan was oddly enough a comforting body-pillow that he was more than okay with curling around during the night.

He returned back to the bedroom, where he found the bed made and his belongings neatly folded and placed on top of Obi-Wan dresser, he pulled on his loose undershirt and his socks before padding back out into the kitchen, where he found Obi-Wan mixing together vegetables and placing a thin layer of them over an evenly spread egg yolk in the hot skillet.

“I hope you don’t mind omelets,” Obi-Wan said, without glancing up.

Anakin settled against a counter, “Not at all, do you need help with anything?”

“Set the table will you, dear?  Oh, and there’s juice in the fridge if you prefer that over tea,” Obi-Wan replied to him, his brow furrowed in concentration.

The domestic butterflies in Anakin’s stomach returned when he did what he was told.  Anakin finished pouring a berry juice when he heard comm pinging from within his robes that were hung on the rack by the front door; he glanced at Obi-Wan, his shoulders had tensed, and Anakin bit at his bottom lip in worry as he walked over to answer the device.  He crossed the living room to the balcony, where he stood under the sun, a warm breeze helped him calm down as he answered it.

“This is Skywalker,” Anakin said; he already knew it was Mace before he even said anything.

“Skywalker, report, any signs of the bounty hunter?” Mace’s digital figure even looked peeved, by the tense lines on his face and his hands were stuffed into the long sleeves of his robes.

“No, Master Windu, I apologize,” Anakin replied, trying to seem annoyed at himself.

“It’s to be expected; bounty hunters are always on the move,” Mace said dismissively, but his tone was still grating.  “Were you around the calamity of last night at the opera house?”

Anakin had to choose carefully; something told him Mace might have caught wind of his whereabouts, “Yes, Master.  Unfortunately, my intel of the bounty hunter had ended before the death of a citizen there, I was not there during the assassination.”

It was alarming how he did not feel guilty for lying.

“But, you assume the bounty hunter was there last night?” Mace pried.

“Yes, I’m most certain the death was linked with the bounty hunter, but I did not feel his presence there; he hides well, Master,” Anakin muttered.

“You’re quick to praise,” Mace noted, cocking his head slightly.  “Do tell if you’ve encountered him before you were given the mission?”

“Only once, Master,” Anakin hastily stated; he could almost feel the distrust from the other side of Coruscant where the Jedi Temple was located.  “During the attack of the village and their chief.”

Mace scratched at his chin before nodding once, sharply, “Proceed your task, Anakin, return to us in two days; we’ll expect a full report then.  Windu, out.”

Anakin felt jittery with nerves when he went back inside, quickly stuffing the comm back into his robes; Obi-Wan had already finished making breakfast, the food sitting freshly hot on their plates, along with hash-browns, and freshly cut fruit.

Obi-Wan had returned back to the dining area, now wearing a long-sleeved shirt, his hair had been combed back and his cheeks pinked as if he had finished scrubbing at his face, “Bad call?” he asked, moving to pull Anakin’s chair out for him before sitting himself down.

Anakin thanked him lowly, he shook his head faintly, “I _lied_ to Master Windu,” he whispered, the guilt was now starting to pool into his gut, causing him to lose his appetite, and that made him feel even worse because of the labor Obi-Wan had done for him.

“That’s not all that troubles you,” Obi-Wan observed, feeling the mixed emotions of guilt, sadness, and suspicion.

“It’s not,” Anakin agreed.  He slowly met Obi-Wan’s curious gaze, “I think Master Windu knew that I was at the opera house, but I’m uncertain who would have reported back to him.  Jedi Masters who are older than me cannot hide their signatures from me, I will still feel them, I know that you aren’t fond of the Order and why would you report to the Council when they sent me out to find you?  I don’t know who was there, who has relation with the Council, as they do not take intel from outside sources, unless they’re well acquaintances,” Anakin frowned.

“Eat, dear,” Obi-Wan reminded him, sensing that Anakin was moving onto a different train of thought.  “But you’re right, from what I recall of the Council, they would not take outside information, not from citizens at least.  I did not detect any Force sensitives at the opera house either,” he said, but frowned when he remembered that there was something amiss from the Chancellor, but from what he could feel, the much older man was null.

Anakin could feel the conflict, “What is it?” he asked.

“Dear, do you know anything of the Chancellor Palpatine?” Obi-Wan asked, tone level.

Anakin frowned at that question, “Know what about him?  He’s been around since I was a child.  He’s been a great friend of mine, why?”

An unsettling feeling stirred in Obi-Wan’s stomach, but he pressed it away, “I was just curious to know,” he shrugged. 

“…Are you suggesting that the Chancellor has something to do with this?” Anakin’s tone became slightly defensive.  “The Council does not trust him, they do not favor Padmé either, they would prefer for all Senators and for Chancellor Palpatine to remain out of the Order’s business.”

“I’m aware of that, Anakin,” Obi-Wan agreed gently.  “Master Qui-Gon was quite wary of the Chancellor, but I mean no disrespect to your friend, understand that.”

Anakin poked at his omelet a little aggressively, but kept his gaze downcast; he wouldn’t openly admit that he now suspected Chancellor Palpatine, but he figured Obi-Wan knew anyway, as the elder wasn’t as ridged now.

“I shouldn’t have suggested anything, I apologize,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“No, I think I would have been more annoyed if you kept this hidden from me,” Anakin responded.  He exhaled softly, nibbling at his breakfast; his mood was dampened and he felt terrible for closing himself off once more.

“Relax, Anakin,” Obi-Wan soothed, the onslaught of conflicting emotions was making him lightheaded.  He saw the apologetic look Anakin gave him and the sudden shift of Anakin concealing his signature from him.

“I think that I’m going to try to meditate this out,” Anakin sighed, he looked at barely eaten breakfast.  “I’ll store this and eat it once I’m done.”

“Would you like some assistance?  Master Qui-Gon was wonderful with assisted meditation when I was too deeply troubled to focus by myself,” Obi-Wan offered.  He smiled at the shy, grateful nod; he took Anakin’s plate and placed it in the fridge along with a small cup of fruit before returning back to the Jedi’s side, “Come, I have a meditation room we can use.”

Anakin took the offered hand, already, he could feel his muscles relaxing, his mind calming as they moved to a comfortably decorated small room, a bookshelf lined one wall, two thick curtains for the one large window that was centered, was parted, two rolls of sage dangled at the ends of the curtain rod, and a lightly scented candle was placed in the center of the windowsill, and there were two meditation cushions stacked against the wall across from the filled bookshelf.  He took the extra round pillow of Obi-Wan and settled onto it comfortable, exhaling slowly; Obi-Wan settled in front of him on his own pillow; they clasped hands and opened their Forces to each other easily, which happily twined together.

“Remarkable,” Obi-Wan whispered, awed.

Anakin tried hard not to blush when he felt the utter joy and adoration on Obi-Wan’s end, he lightly squeezed Obi-Wan’s fingers, “I thought meditation was done in silence?” he teased, opening one eye at Obi-Wan, who gave him an impish smile.

“Apologies, dear, it’s…ever clear and bright, and you’re so entuned with the Force; it’s like seeing the world in a whole new perspective,” Obi-Wan breathed, he thought his stomach was doing flips when he gazed at Anakin through their combined link, the way the glittery light aura danced around Anakin, his eyes were such a beautiful shade of sky-blue, the way the sun cast highlights into Anakin’s honey colored hair; he was merely shocked that people did not see the inner and outer beauty of Anakin.

Anakin smiled lightly, “You’re staring now,” he teased him.

“It’s hard not too, you’re fascinating,” Obi-Wan told him earnestly.

“You’re easy on the eyes too,” Anakin confessed, his cheeks were starting to glow again and he ducked his head and let his eyes shut.

Obi-Wan exhaled slowly and let his eyes slip shut as well.

All was well, it only him, Anakin, and the Force that intertwined them into one breathing soul.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it. -flees-

Obi-Wan felt a light tingle against his Force, he could feel that Anakin was starting to withdraw from the meditation.  It felt nice to reconnect with the Force completely, he hadn’t been able to completely submerge himself lately due his missions that required lengthy periods of tracking and situations where he had to act quickly.

He rolled his shoulders and opened his eyes, he felt Anakin’s fingers slip from his own and watched the younger stretch his arms over of his head, “Better?” he questioned.

Anakin nodded and his stomach rumbled, “I could certainly eat now.”

“Good, we’ve been here for a couple hours now,” Obi-Wan said, rising to his full height and offered a hand out to pull Anakin to his feet.  At their contact, their signatures hummed happily and a content smile graced his face.

Anakin felt much happier as well and followed Obi-Wan back to the kitchen where he grabbed his stored food and started to scarf it down, he caught Obi-Wan’s grimace in the corner of his eye, “What?” he asked around a mouthful.

“You’ll eat that cold?” Obi-Wan demanded, he shook his head in exasperation when Anakin nodded happily to him.

“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers,” Anakin told him when he finished off his food and moved to clean his plate at the sink before placing it in the drying rack. 

“It wouldn’t have taken much effort to heat it back up, but I respect your choices,” Obi-Wan replied, even he had the tiniest bit of disgust lingering.  He rolled his eyes when Anakin playfully stuck his tongue out, “Come along, I promised you an adventurous day, didn’t I?”

“In this prep town?” Anakin raised an eyebrow at him.

“I already promised you to go to the lower rims…to indulge your sense of adventure of the dangerous,” Obi-Wan sighed.  “But first, I require a quick shower.”

Anakin nodded, “You first.”

“Or we should share?” Obi-Wan winked and watched Anakin’s face turn red.  “I’m joking, darling, you would never expose yourself on the first date.”

Anakin narrowed his eyes, “Is that a challenge?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened in surprise when Anakin shucked off his shirt and tossed it over the couch, “I do hope you’ll pick that up later,” he muttered, sizing Anakin up, who puffed up like an overly proud bird.

“Well?” Anakin snarked.

“Dear, if you insist continuing this, freshers can be _quite_ a dangerous place for intimacy,” Obi-Wan drawled. “I prefer the bedroom, but I’m not picky.”

“Seriously?” Anakin grumbled, he snagged his shirt back and pulled it back over his head.  He heard Obi-Wan murmuring to himself as he walked away, “You know it would have defeated the purpose of getting clean anyway!” he called and dropped onto the couch with a sigh and shut his eyes.

He sat up straight barely a minute later, “By the stars, I just nearly agreed to have shower sex with Obi-Wan!” he hissed softly to himself, nerves jittering to the point where all he could do was lie down on the cushions again and stare at the ceiling with mortification.

~~~~

Obi-Wan didn’t comment on the fact that he could feel the awkwardness and nervousness coming from Anakin, he simply told him how to work the fresher and where the towels were before vanishing off to his room and got dressed.

He moved the balcony to finish drying his hair as it was mostly half-dry at this point.  He sat on one of the chairs and shut his eyes, slipping into a light meditation while he waited for Anakin.  He would begrudgingly admit that it was wonderful morning to just sit and do nothing, except for bask in the sun like a lazy loth-cat.  His musings were interrupted by Anakin coming out onto the balcony as well, completely dressed except for his robes, and he sat across from Obi-Wan.

“Nice day,” Anakin stated tilting his face up towards the sun and letting his eyes close. 

“Indeed,” Obi-Wan agreed, opening his eyes to look over Anakin.  He smiled softly when he could feel how at peace Anakin was, “Perhaps, if you wouldn’t mind, would you allow me to take you to a festival that’s not too far from here?”

“You really hate the lower rim, don’t you?” Anakin mused.  “But, sure, I haven’t been to one of those…since…well, ever.”

“Never?” Obi-Wan inquired, but immediately regretted it when a shadowed look came across Anakin’s face.  “Right…my apologies.”

“No, it’s okay,” Anakin shook off the apology.  He ruffled his mostly dry hair at this point and rose to his feet, “Won’t I stand out?”

“You’ll be fine without your robes and if you keep that stern look off your face, and I promise you’ll blend right in,” Obi-Wan chuckled.  He also moved to his feet and stretched lazily before leading the way back inside, once Anakin followed him in, he locked the balcony door and moved over to the front door to grab his boots and pulled those on, “All right, are you ready to leave?”

Anakin nodded and followed Obi-Wan out and down the hall, back down the stairs, and crossed through the lower floor until they were outside and he glanced around himself.

“Relax, this is supposed to be a nice day, we would feel a threat regardless of their hidden status,” Obi-Wan soothed him, running a hand down Anakin’s arm and hooked their arms together lightly.

“I know,” Anakin huffed softly, looking away from Obi-Wan’s amused face.  He fell into step with Obi-Wan easily, his shoulders relaxed when a warm breeze lightly tugged through his hair, he could feel that Obi-Wan was happy and calm as well.

“We’ll have to take Ahsoka to one of these, I have a feeling she would enjoy the sight and games, would she not?” Obi-Wan asked the Jedi.

Anakin nodded happily, but he still felt a soft sting of sadness, “Perhaps I could ask the Council to have her go on a _mission_ with me.”

Obi-Wan chuckled at that, “Perhaps they would, I know they can be strict, from what I remember, anyway, but they’d never pass up the opportunity for young padawans to continue their education.”

“Even if it’s just for visiting a festival?” Anakin asked cheekily.  He laughed when Obi-Wan chided him and squeezed at his arm lightly, “You’ll have to show me good places to get food.”

“Hungry all ready?” Obi-Wan asked.

“My stomach is a blackhole, Obi-Wan,” Anakin reminded him, nudging him slightly, to which the older man just smiled at him adoringly.

They continued soft chatter between them all the way up to the festival, they could hear the commotion from a couple blocks away, and when they arrived, Anakin was awed at the brightly colored banners, the smell of fresh food that had his mouth watering, interestingly dressed people who were part of the entertainment, the merchant stands, game booths, and all the people who were attending the public event.

“Not overwhelmed, are you?” Obi-Wan asked him.  “I know it can be overbearing, but they are plenty of fun.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Anakin said as Obi-Wan guided them under the welcoming banner and into the throng of people.  He might have held Obi-Wan’s hand so that they didn’t get separated, he ignored the fact that even if they did get lost from each other that they’d be able to find each other again by the signatures.

Judging by the wave of happiness that soaked Anakin to the very core, Obi-Wan didn’t mind in the slightest.

They started to explore the festival, stopping around the view the performers, merchants and their interesting valuables, food carts, and game booths, which Obi-Wan learned that Anakin was practically a natural at the rigged traps.

“It’s all in the wrist,” Anakin said over his shoulder when Obi-Wan was murmuring in disbelief from behind him.

Anakin had won at least six games and gave the stuffed animals to the younglings who didn’t get their prize when they tried, he was happy when he fixed their crestfallen expressions, and he could feel the affection coming from Obi-Wan.  He happily helped Obi-Wan win a game of ring toss and they got a purple fish and couple trinkets for their winnings.

The most important thing Anakin was excited about was for the food that Obi-Wan brought to their little table that they shared and a couple sweet smelling liquors that Anakin happily tried.

Obi-Wan fed Anakin a couple things from his plate, the favor was exchanged back to him of course, and he didn’t regret bringing Anakin here; the young Jedi looked so happy that he wanted to savor the moment forever; he blinked when he felt a cold streak running down his cheek and low sound of thunder rumbling in the distance.

They both looked up and saw that dark, gray clouds had overtaken the once beautiful sky and bright sun.

“Uh-oh,” Anakin hummed.  He was quick to snatch the rest of his food and down his remaining alcohol and Obi-Wan had copied him before they both shot up and started to make a mad dash home when the rain that was starting to fall lightly before coming down into a heavy downpour.

Anakin was trying his best not to jostle the poor, prize fish in the water filled baggy they had won while he sprinted towards Obi-Wan’s apartment, the older man kept easy stride with him, cackling happily and catching himself if he slid.

By the time they had made it to Obi-Wan’s door, they both were panting heavily and soaked to the bone, Obi-Wan lightly fumbled with the lock as Anakin kept distracting him with his happy giggling and once they were inside, Obi-Wan removed his boots and Anakin carefully followed suit, still cradling the bagged fish in his hands.

“Here, I have an old circular vase I used for small water lilies,” Obi-Wan said, beckoning for Anakin to follow him into the kitchen.  He rinsed it out a couple times before filling it up with room temperature water, “Let the fish remain the bag and gently place it into the vase so that the fish can gradually adjust to the temperature difference.”

Anakin nodded to what Obi-Wan was saying and stood back, he suddenly felt a stringy piece of hair being brushed from his face and combed back.  He smiled softly and nuzzled his face gently into the warmth of Obi-Wan’s hand he leaned forward to kiss him and Obi-Wan easily recuperated.  He sighed softly when Obi-Wan carded his fingers through his hair, he leaned into the affection and soon had Obi-Wan’s hands running up under his tunic.

“Let’s move, yes?” Obi-Wan murmured against Anakin’s ear.

Anakin nodded eagerly, allowing the older man to pull his tunic over his head, dropping it on the kitchen floor.  He pushed closer when the thunder startled him and he was soothed with a kiss and followed Obi-Wan back to his bedroom where he was pushed gently onto the bed.

Obi-Wan wasted no time getting between Anakin’s legs, “I promise that I left my comm out in the living room,” he mused, kissing along Anakin’s neck.  He felt Anakin’s legs tighten around his waist and he groaned softly and nipped at Anakin’s ear, “You should be careful.”

“Why?” Anakin asked, a little breathlessly when Obi-Wan rutted against him.  He sighed happily when Obi-Wan pulled gently at his hair, “Are you challenging me again?” he mused.

“Hush,” Obi-Wan chided, running his hands under Anakin’s leggings and squeezing him lightly and smirked to himself when Anakin moaned and arched up into his touch.  “Better, hmm?”

Anakin glowered up at him when Obi-Wan’s touch vanished, “You can’t do that,” he hissed.

“Oh?” Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow at him.  He nipped at Anakin’s collarbone, “Why’s that?”

Anakin lost train of thought when Obi-Wan kissed him breathlessly, he ran his fingers down Obi-Wan’s back, he pulled at Obi-Wan’s rain damp tunic and the former Jedi obliged with him actions and Anakin tossed it off to the side.  He leaned up until he could kiss Obi-Wan again, letting his tongue playfully swipe against the seam of Obi-Wan’s lips, which had Obi-Wan pressing harder, trapping Anakin between him and the mattress firmly, and Anakin couldn’t protest that.

“Will you let me be with you?” Obi-Wan asked when he could feel himself getting a little too worked up.  He pulled back and gazed at Anakin carefully, who was panting softly, he swiped back a stray pieced of hair from Anakin’s face again and his thumb traced Anakin’s lips briefly before moving to lightly press against the Jedi’s neck.

Anakin nodded at him, unable to speak at the moment.  He relaxed under Obi-Wan and let the other man trace his hands gently down his sides, squeezing briefly at his hips before lithe fingers skated back up, one hand toyed with his hair, while the other crept back under his leggings.  Anakin’s eyes slid shut and his lips parted in a soundless moan, while Obi-Wan mouthed at his throat, he twitched under Obi-Wan’s hold and writhed when Obi-Wan flicked his wrist.

Obi-Wan’s eyes sparkled with flecks of gold in his gray-green eyes, taking in the pleasure that Anakin flooded their bond with, “So beautiful,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Anakin’s brow.  He withdrew his hold again and tugged lightly at the hem of the waistband and judged Anakin’s expression and felt for their bond, but all he felt was trust and he easily slipped them from Anakin’s thighs and ran his hands up the smooth expanse of the Jedi’s tanned thighs, “Perfect,” Obi-Wan murmured.

Anakin shivered under the touch and praise, “Please,” Anakin whispered pleadingly.

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to beg twice,” Obi-Wan complied with what Anakin was asking for.  He stroked Anakin’s cock at a lazy pace, having the Jedi ride between pleasure and teasing.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin keened when the former Jedi’s thumb stroked over his head and frantically tugged at his shoulders, rutting up against him, “Please, please, _please!”_

Obi-Wan let out a soft groan at the sensation, he was now practically ripping his leggings off to be completely flush against Anakin, who moaned at the friction between them.  He reached over into the bedside drawer, grabbing the tube of lube and ignored Anakin’s scoff, “I’m only human,” he responded before kissing Anakin’s forehead.

Anakin heard Obi-Wan through his bond, urging him to relax while he prepared him.  He tilted his head back and let out a soft sigh, Obi-Wan’s free hand squeezed at his knee reassuringly when he added a third finger, stretching him carefully.

The older man shivered when Anakin fully opened their bond, allowing him to feel what Anakin was feeling, “ _Amazing_ ,” Obi-Wan crooned in his ear, he crooked his fingers and Anakin squirmed, letting out a whine. 

The Jedi gripped Obi-Wan’s hair, pulling him closer to nip at his neck, which his pampering was interrupted by Obi-Wan angling his fingers again and Anakin tore away with a gasp and he was struggling between being annoyed and wanting Obi-Wan to do it again.

To be honest with himself, Obi-Wan was completely content with taking Anakin apart this way, even if he was aching with the desire to be in him.  He loved each breathy sigh, moan, and low keening sound that came from the Jedi, the way his body arched with each brush of Obi-Wan’s fingers; it was enjoyable to witness.

Anakin sent a soft wave of approval, while his fingers curled into Obi-Wan’s hair, he met him for a soft kiss, “Please, I’m ready,” he murmured, the low burn in his gut was becoming more apparent and he yearned for Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan took a couple seconds to process what was being asked of him before he nodded at the statement.  He jumped slightly when Anakin grasped him, lubing him, “Impatient, aren’t you?” he struggled not to stumble over his words.

“I’m a very fast paced person,” Anakin stated.  He felt another wave of reassurance when Obi-Wan lined himself up and started to slowly push himself in; Anakin forced himself not to arch, nervous that he would rush it and hurt himself or Obi-wan and he winced slightly as Obi-Wan’s teeth sank into the junction of his shoulder and neck.

“By the stars,” Obi-Wan gasped, he stilled himself when he was completely flush against the Jedi, Anakin was shaking under him and he pressed a kiss to the bitemark.  “I apologize.”

Anakin couldn’t form words at the moment, he let out a soft, shuddering breath.  He whined softly when Obi-Wan gripped him under his thighs, angling his hips up slightly and Obi-Wan told him that he was going to start moving.  The first was gentle to the point that Anakin silently urged him to move faster, harder, but Obi-Wan told him to be patient and didn’t want to hurt him.

Obi-Wan carefully gauged Anakin’s reactions by looking at his expressions and feeling him through their bond as he moved more steadily, all he was receiving was positive feedback and Obi-Wan felt relief fill him.

Anakin let out a pleased sound when Obi-Wan gripped him, jerking him in a leisured pace.  He felt his gut starting to tighten again and judging by what Anakin could feel in their bond, Obi-Wan was close too; he kissed the former Jedi sloppily, lost in the feeling of being fucked and being touched, his sensitivity was on overdrive due to how entwined he was with the Force.  Anakin whined and arched in protest when Obi-Wan slipped out of him, he made a needy sound and nearly demanded Obi-Wan to be seated back inside him once more, and Obi-Wan only chuckled amusedly and bowed to Anakin’s demand.

“Oh, Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed, easing himself back into Anakin’s willing body, who let out a happy sigh from under Obi-Wan.  He lightly nuzzled Anakin’s damp temple, “So good for me,” he praised, rocking his hips against Anakin’s steadily.

Anakin let out a soft moan, arching his back, his nails dug into the sheets under him as he panted out Obi-Wan’s name.  He shivered pleasantly as Obi-Wan’s beard scratched against his neck, moving up until he had Obi-Wan’s lips over his own, “Please, Obi-Wan,” Anakin pleaded softly when he had turned his head away, panting softly.

Obi-Wan smiled, his fingers dug into Anakin’s left lean thigh, hiking it up higher up his hip, fucking deeper into Anakin, earning a high keen from his beloved, “Is this better, my Darling?” he asked, his thrusts never faltering, he earned soft whines, gasps, and cries from Anakin with every calculated thrust he gave.  He let out a soft groan of his own when Anakin’s nails scratched down his back, “Oh, my love,” Obi-Wan crooned, “I could have you every day at any hour and never tire.”

Anakin let out a shuddery sigh when he came, Obi-Wan rocking into him one last time before releasing into Anakin, they both let out satisfied moans, Anakin carefully pulled Obi-Wan back down to rest over him, he kissed him slowly, his eyes were heavily lidded.  He felt suddenly ill at the harsh déjà vu, the three words he whispered in his dream at the tip of his tongue, but he managed to swallow them back.

_Jedi cannot have attachment._

Obi-Wan blinked at the harsh mental block of Anakin’s end and pulled back, his hands resting on either side of Anakin’s head as he looked down at him, “Are you all right?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Anakin asked, a little harshly.  He told himself to calm down and he looked at Obi-Wan with gentle eyes, “I’m sorry…I just…panicked a little after all this was over; you were my first.”

“I wouldn’t toss you to the road, Anakin,” Obi-Wan chided him.  He kissed Anakin slowly before carefully pulling back, “I should clean us both up real quick,” Obi-Wan said and moved off the bed to head to the bathroom.

Anakin averted his eyes; he wasn’t for sure why he was being so shy, as he literally just had sex with this man and nearly blurted out a forbidden confession to the former Jedi.  Obi-Wan could have all the attachments he wanted, a family, a life partner…Anakin could not, and his heart hurt at the thought.  Anakin jumped when a warm cloth was swiped over his belly and his cheeks turned red at being cared for, but Obi-Wan simply smiled at him before disappearing back into the bathroom and reappearing to bed.

Obi-Wan curled up behind Anakin’s back, wrapping an arm around his waist and snuggling his face against Anakin’s shoulder briefly before resting back onto his pillow, “You’re still tense…are you sure that you’re not…regretting this?”

“By the Force, Obi-Wan, no!” Anakin went to turn, but Obi-Wan held him tight and he huffed unhappily.  “I recalled having a vision of this, if you must know,” Anakin murmured, feeling shy all of a sudden.

“Of this moment?” Obi-Wan asked curiously.

“When we were, uh…close to being done,” Anakin stammered.  “I dreamt of it and I remembered it when I woke up and just feeling weird.”

Obi-Wan let out a soft chuckle and kissed the top of Anakin’s head, “Dear, you don’t have to be so shy about these things.  I find it a little funny how you dreamed about our first time before I even properly knew how to attempt to court you for intimacy.”

Anakin hummed, feeling satisfied and sleepy, “It was stupid and I panicked over nothing, per usual.”

“No, you were nervous and that’s okay, I’m just pleased that you trusted me with this,” Obi-Wan corrected him softly.  “Sleep now, but I promise we can laze in tomorrow as well.”

Anakin nodded to that, he locked his fingers over Obi-Wan’s that rested over his abdomen, he struggled briefly to stay awake and crisis over what he had just done, but Obi-Wan was humming a soft folk tune near his ear and he was out before he could even rub those worries together.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates miiight be a little slower after this.

Sleep was extremely difficult to leave, Anakin concluded when he struggled to pull out of the wraps of it for the third time.  It didn’t help that Obi-Wan was warm, pulsating love and protection, and humming softly in his ear; Anakin wondered if he had been awake all night, as he could only assume bounty hunters had odd sleeping schedules.

“Are you with me this round, Anakin?” Obi-Wan’s teasing voice weaved through the haze that was still wrapped around Anakin’s brain.  The elder man stifled a chuckle when the Jedi made a small noise in the back of his throat and tucked his head under Obi-Wan’s chin, huffing softly against his neck.  He traced his fingers down Anakin’s spine, feeling him shiver against him, “It’s nearly noon, I know I promised that we would laze about today, but don’t forget, we have a fish to take care of…if the poor thing is even alive still.”

Anakin nodded blearily, catching most of his words.  He groggily sat up, the shift hurt slightly and he could feel Obi-Wan poking softly at their bond, checking if there was anything wrong, “M’fine,” he slurred, rubbing sleep from his eyes and blinked tiredly; he craved a shower.

Obi-Wan still gave him a hesitant nod, “Feel free to take the longest shower you need, darling,” he said as he got out of bed.

The Jedi noted that Obi-Wan looked freshly showered and had on sleep pants, while he was stiff skinned and probably still had a linger smell of sex on him; his face reddened and he told himself to get over it.  He jumped slightly when fingers carefully carded through his hair, tilting his head back and soft lips pressed against his forehead briefly.

“I’ll make breakfast too,” Obi-Wan promised as he stepped away, his eyes were gentle as he looked over Anakin’s ruffled appearance, a low stroke of pride waved over him, because he had done that, and he chuckled when Anakin squinted at him.  “What can I say, I didn’t know that I could make such a masterpiece,” Obi-Wan mused, he caught the pillow that had been half tossed at him before placing it at the end of the bed and winked at him before leaving the bedroom.

Anakin stretched a little more before getting out of bed and headed towards the fresher, he paused when he saw himself in the mirror; he looked like Obi-Wan’s chew toy, as his neck was spattered with kiss-marks that went all the way down to his collarbones, his stomach to his pelvis were in matching states all well.  Arousal swept through him when he saw that his thighs were also marked up, with soft bitemarks and beard burn, he briefly remembered waking up to Obi-Wan mouthing him before sucking him off, perhaps that’s why it had been so difficult to wake up…

He also hoped they wouldn’t be visible when he returned back to the Temple; the last thing he needed was for a Council member to see them and call him out.  He cringed at that thought and quickly got into the fresher and let his shoulders relax under the hot spray, letting the water wash away the majority of his worries.

When he was finished scrubbing himself clean and had rinsed off, he stepped out and dried himself off with his towel from yesterday and ruffled his hair a couple times before heading back to Obi-Wan’s room, he didn’t find his clothes, but found new clothes folded up with a note on them, reading that they were his.  Anakin arched an eyebrow at how Obi-Wan got his size, but shrugged it off and pulled on the nicer quality dark, slouchy leggings, and a dark blue tunic, the sleeves weren’t as wide as his black one, but Anakin didn’t mind and the fabric was much nicer, he also pulled on the black socks that had been placed with the rest of the clothes. 

After, he went back out and saw that Obi-Wan had finished making hotcakes and had a couple fruit spreads prepared for them as well, “Good morning…err, afternoon,” Anakin greeted him.  He happily accepted the kiss from Obi-Wan, “Need help with anything?”

“No, I’ve wrapped up here, go ahead and sit,” Obi-Wan gestured, he was finishing up his tea. 

Anakin moved to do what he was told, he caught sight of the small table that had been moved to sit in the corner that was closest to the balcony door, the purple fish had survived the night and had been moved to the table, it swam the confines of the new vase it had been placed in.

“Did you know that the fish is actually a carnivore?” Obi-Wan asked.  “It wanted nothing to with the seeds that I had given it and near took my finger off!” he exclaimed, he showed the Jedi his wrapped index finger.

Anakin looked surprised, “You’re messing with me.”

“I had to look it up, they’re common in the outer rim, in those mostly aquamarine planets that have little land, but who would have thought to bring them to a fair as prizes?  I’m shocked that it hadn’t died from climate change,” Obi-Wan informed him.  He cut into his breakfast, “But I’ll keep him regardless.”

Anakin smiled at his mock annoyance, “You’re a lover at heart.”

“You’re not wrong, now eat up, I know this is your last day with me, so I want to treasure it for as long as possible,” Obi-Wan sighed unhappily.  He did poke at a blueberry with his fork dejectedly; he honestly felt like a love-sick teenager, and he wasn’t ready to separate, and judging from what Anakin was projecting, he wasn’t too thrilled either.  Obi-Wan had to bite his tongue from suggesting Anakin leave the Order, but even if they had slept together and at least harbored feelings, Anakin wasn’t ready to give up his life as a Jedi quite yet.

Anakin slid his gaze back to where his robes were hung up and wondered if he had missed any incoming calls, but he didn’t want to think about it.  He glanced back at Obi-Wan, who was silently reading the news on his Holopad, while eating his breakfast, “Oh, I forgot to thank you for the clothes.”

“I’m glad that they fit and they suit you, if I may say,” Obi-Wan turned his attention to him.  “Your others are in the wash right now, they should be dry in about an hour or so.”

Anakin thanked him once more and fiddled with the drawstring of the leggings briefly before dreading his next question, but he was curious to know, “Do you have any mission requests for today?”

“You needn’t to be so nervous, darling, you can ask of my career activities,” Obi-Wan mused.  “But not for today, I tend to space out my missions, doing too many back-to-back raises suspicion and I would rather not have to uplift my home.”

Anakin nodded at that, it made sense, “Do you always do…assassination missions or do you have a preference?”

“Mm, I don’t fancy requests that are too far from home and I’m not a fan of bog planet missions, but no, I also don’t always do assassinations, they’re…not a favorite, but rather easy for me,” Obi-Wan replied.  “Carrying around severed limbs and returning them to the buyer isn’t a favorite either, but you do need proof of your actions.”

Anakin glanced at his half-eaten red berry hotcake and shivered, “I don’t know how you handle that.”

“The same way you do when you have to drag a half dead comrade from battle, or seeing all the gore on field as you’re running by,” Obi-Wan simply stated.  “It all starts to blur together and you become jaded; our lives aren’t so different, Anakin.  Career paths, yes, but we see the same thing nearly every day.”

The former Jedi wasn’t wrong, and Anakin couldn’t even find it himself to argue that he was fighting for a cause, but people were still dying regardless, no matter what he did or strategized, his troops or other Jedi fell victims to the Separatists’ army.

Obi-Wan offered him a kind smile, “You at least aren’t too far gone with the Code, at you can acknowledge what I do, and don’t viciously retaliate.”

“If I was, I wouldn’t be here,” Anakin said lowly. 

“This doesn’t make you a traitor, Anakin, it means that you know that the Jedi way is wrong for you.  Please don’t think so lowly of yourself, you’re a wonderful warrior, you have skills that surpass your grandmasters, and have accomplished so much more than any Jedi in the Temple.”

“But, even with all of that, I’ll never be enough,” Anakin whispered.

Obi-Wan’s gaze was sympathetic, “Anakin, you mustn’t take what you hear to heart.  I remember meeting you, you were so young, so full of life, and so very afraid.  I’ll admit that I slightly afraid of you because your Force count was so high, I was afraid that someone would take you and use you against your will and I did not want that, I did not want the destruction on innocent lives and have them live in fear and slander your name, because it wouldn’t have been your fault in the first place.”

“They say I’m too emotional, too angry to be a true Jedi,” Anakin huffed.

“The Council fears what they cannot understand, they don’t understand you or your upbringing,” Obi-Wan said gently.  “You had a mother, she loved you very dearly and then you had to leave her behind.  You were placed in a whole different world and expected to adapt immediately, without love, without compassion, no feelings at all.  That is not who you are, Anakin, I can see that and I have witnessed it; you love with your whole entity, you have compassion for others, you fear for their lives, you grow angry when your friends are hurt, you love and praise your former Padawan because positive and kind words are what shape people into better people.”

“Master Qui-Gon tried to do that, the most he could anyway,” Anakin murmured, bowing his head, while his eyes were watering and he struggled to keep the tears at bay.

A wistful smile graced Obi-Wan’s face at the mention of him, “Master Qui-Gon did try at times, he did not favor the Code, as you already know,” he said and moved from his chair to gently pull Anakin from his own and wrapped him into a warm, solid embrace, his fingers tangled into Anakin’s wavy hair.  “You’re faithful and you trust your emotions, I know you still hold the Temple close to your heart, as you had grown up there, but dear, I wish you knew that you’d be much happier elsewhere.”

“Happy where?” Anakin’s watery question was muffled against Obi-Wan’s shoulder.  “ _Here_?” he pulled back, his eyes were still rimmed red with tears and he looked terribly dejected.  “I can’t _do_ what you do, Obi-Wan.  I’m not a bounty hunter, I couldn’t take someone’s life away for a few credits, that is _not_ who I am.”

“You don’t have to be,” Obi-Wan shook his head.  “If you wanted to remain with me, we could move elsewhere, I know you like fixing things, that is something that can never be overridden from you,” he mused, wiping a stray tear from Anakin’s cheek.  “There are plenty of nicer planets that could use your intelligence.”

“But Ahsoka and Rex, I can’t just abandon them, I’m a General too of a whole team,” Anakin reminded him.  He constantly felt like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place, no matter what he did, he was stuck, perhaps if he had a little more apathy, he could have just left the Order with no remorse or fear of his actions.

“You do not have to make this decision just yet, give yourself some time to weigh your options,” Obi-Wan told him.  “I will be busy next week with missions, so you’ll have plenty of time to think.”

“Are you still doing that thing with Dooku?” Anakin asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Hopefully not, he does know when I want nothing to do with him,” Obi-Wan stated.  “I have no favor tipping the odds in the Sith Lord’s hands, nor the Republic’s, I am completely neutral.”

“Is that another reason why you want me to leave the Jedi, so that you don’t feel as if you’re being drawn to their side?” Anakin asked.

“I would only fight for you, not for them,” Obi-Wan solemnly stated.  “I could care less what happens to them, you are _all_ that matters.”

Anakin blinked at the sheer possessiveness in Obi-Wan’s tone, “I could be more trouble than I’m worth,” he tried to joke, but the laser sharp stare the former Jedi gave him made him nervous.

“I disagree,” Obi-Wan argued softly, his gaze becoming light once more.  “Humor me, will you?” he asked, changing the subject.

“What do you want me to do?” Anakin questioned warily.  He jumped slightly when he felt Obi-Wan’s fingers slid the inside of his thigh and press a little sharply where a particular sensitive bite had been placed, “O-Obi- _Wan,_ ” the stammer ended in a soft sigh when he had been pushed back against the couch.

“I don’t want our last day to be related with sadness, I want you in a hazy stage of euphoria,” Obi-Wan hummed near his ear, while his fingers prodded through the fabric of Anakin’s leggings to press into the love-marks Obi-Wan had left behind.  “I want you to remember it, to _feel_ it when your clothes pull against you, when your sparring with another, when you’re lying in your bed, and when I’m toying with you through our bond.”

Anakin was shaking at the words being crooned in his ear, his fingers pressed into Obi-Wan’s shoulder blades, pulling the former Jedi down onto him.  He let out a quiet whine when Obi-Wan nibbled at the still healing love-marks on his neck; he was half braced against the armrest of the couch, Obi-Wan was crouched between his legs, his hands gripping his hips, “You can’t do this to me when I have to leave you today,” Anakin protested weakly, he didn’t care that he had a slight whine in his tone when he said that.

“Unfortunately, the Council aren’t willing to give extended days for missions, but I suppose I’ll cherish the time I have left,” Obi-Wan huffed, moving to nip at Anakin’s earlobe teasingly.  He shivered when Anakin ran his nails down his back, even though he still had his shirt on, the marks that Anakin left last night tingled at the dull clawing; Anakin had nearly used him as a scratching post.

Anakin felt himself getting worked up and he lightly pushed at Obi-Wan, “Wait, I want to try something…or, might need you to teach me how,” his face got redder the more his mind traveled south and he quickly moved to kneel on the floor, between Obi-Wan’s legs, he shyly bit at his bottom lip.

It didn’t even take a second for Obi-Wan to process what Anakin was asking for and he had to remind himself to breathe.  He wondered if Anakin could feel the light tremor that shook his fingers as he carded a gentle hand through Anakin’s hair, reassuring him that what he wanted to do was welcome.  Obi-Wan could already feel himself getting erect before Anakin had completely unlaced his leggings and he had to stop himself from gripping the back of the Jedi’s head when Anakin had leaned forward to take curious lick.

“Don’t force yourself to take what you can’t,” Obi-Wan hoarsely stated, when he guided Anakin mentally.  He tilted his head back, let out a soft sigh when Anakin’s lips had enclosed around him and his warm hand wrapped around what he couldn’t take.  The former Jedi threaded his fingers through Anakin’s hair, struggling not to push himself further into Anakin’s mouth, he tugged lightly when he reminded Anakin to take his time and not rush himself and he massaged his scalp gently when Anakin was doing well at pacing.

Anakin glanced up at him periodically, making sure that Obi-Wan was enjoying himself, which he could feel through their bond and that Obi-Wan was controlling himself from manhandling and Anakin appreciated that effort, as this was his first time doing this.  He concentrated at the task and relaxed his jaw when Obi-Wan gave the occasional shallow thrust and he hummed softly when Obi-Wan’s fingers kneaded pleasantly at his head, which had Obi-Wan moan at the sensation from Anakin’s actions.

“Darling—” Obi-Wan’s warning was cut off when Anakin made himself take Obi-Wan further into his mouth, he clenched his fingers in Anakin’s rumpled hair when he came and Anakin easily took it.  He shakily released Anakin and allowed the Jedi to tuck him back into his leggings, his legs shook and his gut tightened pleasurably when he took in the sight of Anakin’s swollen lips, his eyes were slightly watery, and his cheeks were flushed, “You’re rather dangerously talented,” Obi-Wan managed to say without his voice sounding gravelly.  He nearly bent Anakin over right then and there over the coffee table when Anakin gave a shy lick at his bottom swollen lip, but he’d blame his still shaking legs for the reason why he was unable to move.

Anakin let himself get hauled up and moved onto the couch, where he got a scratchy kiss, but nonetheless, he still liked it and moaned softly in the back of his throat at the contact of Obi-Wan being flush against him.  He shied away when Obi-Wan’s fingers crept under the hem of his leggings, “Still sore,” he murmured and Obi-Wan kiss him softly.

Obi-Wan worried about that, but Anakin assured him that he was fine.  He nuzzled down Anakin’s neck, their signatures so tightly wrapped together it was difficult to tell where their individual signatures began and ended.

They remained on the couch like that for the remaining hour, just basking in light affections, their thoughts lazily circling their admirations, and sleepy exchanging of kisses until Anakin could hear the light chirp of his comm alarm, telling him that the Council was expecting him soon.

Anakin hid his face in Obi-Wan’s neck, he wanted to remain here with the former Jedi, but knew that he could not, the Council would send someone out to track him down and bring him back.  He shared one more kiss with Obi-Wan, before forcing himself away.

Obi-Wan sighed at that and moved to stand, he glanced at their plates that they had left behind, the little food that remained was stone cold at this point and he wasn’t too eager to clean it up.  He turned to Anakin, “I shall return with your clothes and something that I promised to give you for allowing yourself to be my captive for a few days,” he winked at the Jedi.

Anakin smiled at the joke, “It wasn’t so bad, being trapped here.”

“I hope it wasn’t,” Obi-Wan mused as he walked to where the washer and dryer was before going to his room and dug around in his closet, where he found a smallish box that was locked and opened with a wave of his hand.  A shiver rolled down his spine when he glanced at his first life, his fingers wrapped around the cold, silver metal and he hastily made his way back to where Anakin was sitting on the couch.  Obi-Wan sat the folded clothes down on the arm of the couch before sitting next to Anakin, his face was guarded, “Take this, I no longer need it.  It’s an old part of my past.”

Anakin startled when a lightsaber had been placed in his hands, “Obi-Wan, this is your lightsaber, I cannot take this.”

“It is my Jedi lightsaber, I no longer honor the Jedi ways; therefore, I do not need it,” Obi-Wan responded.  “It will give the Jedi Council reason to trust you that you did what you were told.  They won’t keep you inside the Temple with mundane duties.”

The Jedi carefully cradled the formerly used lightsaber in his hands; this had been Obi-Wan’s first lightsaber, his first creation and sign that he had once been a Jedi, proven to be worthy to be a knight in training under Qui-Gon’s guidance; his eyes became misty at the love and pride he could feel from the elegantly made weapon.

“I know you’ll take care of it,” Obi-Wan said kindly.

Anakin promised him that he would.  He leaned over and kissed Obi-Wan softly before pulling away, “I have to go, promise me that you’ll try not to get into serious trouble.”

“I can promise that,” Obi-Wan mused.  He went and found an extra bag in his closet to pack Anakin’s other clothes and once he had those tucked away he passed the bag to Anakin after the Jedi had pulled on his black robe, “I promise to contact you in the next day or so.”

“I look forward to it,” Anakin smiled.  He leaned into Obi-Wan’s touch before letting out himself out and headed onto the street, his heart was heavy and he wasn’t eager to return back to the Temple where he was going to be flayed with questions until he was mentally numbed out.

He caught the next tram back to the Temple, Obi-Wan’s old lightsaber hit his thigh gently with every step he took, it swung next to his own; it was already becoming a comforting weight for him.

When he finally arrived, he stood at the stairs leading up to the Temple; guilt sat heavily in him and he felt like a traitor standing there, but at the same time, he could have cared less, he could feel where his heart was, who he was with who made him much happier, and by the warmth caress that echoed through him, it was mutual.

The affection gave him strength and he continued up the stone stairs up past the guards, who nodded at him, and he exhaled slowly, the sun was high and filtering through the large windows, calming him as he walked the Council’s chambers and he could already feel that Master Windu and Grandmaster Yoda already in the chamber, undoubtfully waiting for his full report.

Anakin stood at the closed doors, usually he would feel uneasy and filled with dread, but he carried a piece of Obi-Wan with him and he never felt braver in his life and he pushed through the doors, while coming up with a story that he could only hope would be convincing.

 _Well, here goes nothing._   Anakin thought and pushed through the doors.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and boring tbh....

Anakin wasn’t even for sure if he could pull through with a lie, as when he could feel Yoda’s eyes on him, it was as if his grandmaster already knew the truth and was silently scolding him for his life choices.  He lifted his chin and stared ahead impassively, “Good evening, masters,” he greeted them.”

They greeted him in unison before getting down to business.

“What is your report?” Mace Windu asked, lacing his fingers in front of his face, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the younger Jedi.

Yoda seemed to lean in his chair as well, waiting for Anakin’s response.

Anakin exhaled softly, willing himself to relax, “Unfortunately, the bounty hunter did escape me, I encountered him the following day of the attack at opera house.  He hides his signature well, he has professional training, either of the Jedi or the Sith, I am uncertain, but, I do believe the artifact I have brought with me will confirm your suspicions of…Obi-Wan Kenobi,” his voice faltered towards the end.

With a lack of willingness to actually share what Anakin had in his possession, he could feel Yoda’s intense stare zeroing in on his hesitation.  He finally drew out the lightsaber that hung on his belt, he slowly stepped up to them, holding the crafted weapon in both hands, cradling it carefully.

Yoda’s ears dipped down slightly as Mace let out a soft exhale, letting his eyes shut in grief.

“The weapon, Obi-Wan’s, it is,” Yoda nodded slowly.  “Unused, hmm?”

Anakin looked away, “He has another lightsaber crafted, this one was probably a backup.”

“You encountered him?” Mace asked him, his dark eyes were piercing and Anakin nodded to him. 

Anakin chewed at his bottom lip nervously before braving himself to speak, “Masters, why did you hide what happened to Obi-Wan?”

“We hid nothing, Skywalker,” Mace’s tone sharpened.  “We had believed that Obi-Wan had died, slain by Qui-Gon.”

Anakin wanted to retort that what he had said was a lie, as everything of Obi-Wan had been redacted or hidden away, the only thing available was his obituary that said that he had died in battle, fighting alongside their master.

Master Plo-Koon had simply said that Qui-Gon confirmed Obi-Wan’s alleged death, not that Qui-Gon had been the cause, Anakin hadn’t known the truth until Obi-Wan spoke first and after Mace had let it slip what had actually happened.

“You hid the truth of Obi-Wan to cover the Jedi’s reputation,” Anakin said, he gripped the lightsaber before hiding it from sight by crossing his arms across his chest. 

“It wouldn’t have been acceptable in publicity,” Mace stated.  “It would have ruined any chances we had with alliances if they knew that a possible Jedi, who knew of their homes, layouts, and battle plans, had gone to the dark side to use their power against them.”

“But regardless of the other planets, you lied to your other Jedi masters, friends of Obi-Wan’s, they believe him to be dead,” Anakin frowned.  He also bit back from telling them that Obi-Wan had no interest in what happened to the galaxy, for all he cared, it could simply end.

“Obliviousness to pain, is what was desired,” Yoda spoke up, his hands resting across his cane.

“And that is how it’s going to remain,” Mace said sharply.  “You’ll be on rest for a few days to recover from this tracking mission,” his eyes briefly swept over Anakin, “even though you lack any sort of physical injury…aside from bruising.”

Heat rushed up Anakin’s face, he stopped himself from adjusting the collar of his robe to hide away their prying eyes to not cause attention; he was fortunate enough that the bruises had faded somewhat.

“And the lightsaber?” Yoda asked, looking at Anakin.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll hold onto it, maybe I’ll be able to track Obi-Wan down through the Force with it,” Anakin told him.

“Wise,” Yoda nodded.  “Go forth, young Skywalker, rest you need.”

Anakin bowed his head to them before turning away and tried to not make it obvious that he was trying to get the hell out of there before he got sick from nerves.  He hastily clipped Obi-Wan’s old lightsaber back to his belt once he was out of their view and made his way back to his quarters, where he retreated back to his room, he still had the small satchel that Obi-Wan gave him, he put away his clean clothes and hung up his robe and slipped his boots off and place his utility belt on his desk.

He flopped onto his back and stared up at the sun rays that filtered through the blinds over his window, even though his report was over, he still felt jittery and nervous, mostly because he knew he wasn’t being truthful to them and while he felt a little guilty, he still wasn’t willing to give them the truth of Obi-Wan and what the former Jedi had told him.

Anakin’s eyes nearly drifted shut when he heard his comm chirp and he groaned before rolling off his bed to his desk and snatched the damned thing, “Skywalker,” he greeted, only allowing audio through

“Ani? It’s me, Padmé,” the Senator greeted the Jedi kindly.

“Padmé, are you okay?” Anakin was immediately hustling to throw all his stuff on again when she laughed.

“Am I not allowed to ask how you are?  Your comm had been on private for a few days and I was worried and surprised when my call went through,” Padmé told him.  “Are you available to come join me for dinner?  We have some serious catching up to do.”

“Of course, I apologize for falling off the radar for a few days, if you remember, I had that…undercover mission,” Anakin sheepishly reminded her.

“Oh, right, with…Ben, correct?” Padmé asked.  “I’m assuming it didn’t have the fallout that you wanted, I apologize.”

“He had slipped by,” Anakin huffed, faking annoyance.  “What time would you like for me to come over?” he quickly changed the topic, wanting Obi-Wan the furthest from her train of thought.

“Would you mind stopping by in a couple hours?” Padmé asked him.

“That works for me,” Anakin smiled, he lied back down, he could rest up before joining her.

Padmé must have read his thoughts, because she told him to get the rest that he could before disconnecting their link.

He nestled under his blanks, Anakin sleepily felt Obi-Wan’s bond caressing against his own and he nuzzled into it, which folded around him, keeping him warm.  As he drifted off, he could feel Ahsoka not so far away, he wondered if she would want to come to dinner, but…he also need to talk to Padmé privately; he could trust her and felt bad keeping secrets from her, as she was always upfront and honest and shared her personal life with him when they bonded on Naboo.

Anakin dozed off quite easily with Obi-Wan’s presence wrapping around him and fell into the calming embrace of sleep.

~~~~

Anakin blinked awake almost instantly when he felt a mental prodding, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  He glanced at his clock and saw that he had only been asleep for an hour and a half, he had time to freshen up before heading over to Padmé’s and have dinner with her.

He did just that, he was pulling on his boots and then his dark robes before exiting his quarters, he felt out for Ahsoka, but his former padawan—his heart still clenched at the past title—was further away from the Temple and must have been sent on a scouting mission or some type of training.

As he walked to the nearest tram, Anakin was lost in deep thought, trying to figure out a way to talk to Padmé about what happened, he was nervous to do so, he knew he could trust her, but everything was still so new to him.

He was so busy worrying over it and fumbling it over that he nearly missed getting off the tram and he quickly bolted off before he got trapped on the tram.  Anakin looked up and saw the looming tower where Padmé had her apartment and he headed in that direction; he could feel Obi-Wan dimly at the back of his mind, he wondered what he was doing and why he was so muted, but he wasn’t going to pry either.

“Lady Padmé has been expecting you,” a droid greeted him, once again, pulling him from his thoughts.

Anakin nodded to the droid, allowing it to guide him to the elevators and followed it all the way to where his friend stayed.  He waited patiently and head 3PO fussing on the on the other side before stammering out an apology to them for taking so long, Anakin smiled and simply greeted his creation.

“Ani?”

Anakin saw Padmé, he mentally chuckled at how flourish her evening gown was, a light blue with lacey accents at the hems of her sleeves and the collar of her dress, and her hair was down in light waves and a matching lacy, blue ribbons were braided into her hair.  He smiled to her and accepted her warm embrace, “How are you?”

“I’ve been fine, nothing new, how about yourself?  You did vanish for a few days,” Padmé said, a worried frown did make itself known towards the end of her reply.

“I’m sorry, I hadn’t meant to shut down like that; stealth missions are rather taxing and require me to be completely submerged into my work,” Anakin sighed.  “Not that it matters anyway.”

Padmé gave him a reassuring smile, “I’m sure you and Ben did well, even if it had a slight fallout.”

Anakin hid his grimace, he shyly ducked his head, “Yea, everything was okay after that, I gained some intel, and…”

“And?” Padmé prompted, she guided him to sit down on the couch and asked 3PO to prepare them a warm drink.  She saw how conflicted he looked and she curiously tilted her head, “Did something else happen?”

“I don’t want you to get upset,” Anakin murmured.  “I don’t want to keep this secret from you, because _no one_ can know about the truth.”

“Anakin, you can trust me,” Padmé told him gently.  She took one of his hands into the both of hers, “Was it about the mission or Ben?”

“Both,” Anakin sighed.  He guilty looked at her, “Ben isn’t a Jedi and I wasn’t there on a mission…technically.”

Padmé’s eyes widened, “Were you…on a date?” a small smile graced her face, pleased that Anakin might have found someone.

“No,” Anakin blushed, shaking his head, but he thought back and his cheeks reddened even further at the intimacy that had happened that night, besides Obi-Wan leaving to go murder someone as a job.  “Not…at first.  Originally, the Council had asked me to go hunt down the bounty hunter I had encountered about a month ago; it’s complicated to explain…” he trailed off with a soft sigh. 

Padmé was now sipping her tea, but gesturing for him to continue.

“I encountered him on another planet for a mission to help a falling village, needless to say, things didn’t end in my favor,” Anakin bitterly stated.  “Then I met him a couple times here, on Coruscant.”

“Is he stalking you?” Padmé demanded, sitting her drink down on the coffee table in front of her, while she ignored 3PO fretting about condensation rings staining the wood.

Anakin shook his head, “No, he’s not doing it to spite me, he’s…genuinely worried about me.  He had once trained as a Jedi, but he couldn’t live to their standards and among other things…so he left.”

“That man, he was a former Jedi and now he’s a bounty hunter?” Padmé concluded.  “Anakin, how you can trust him?”

“Because he understands me,” Anakin replied simply. 

“He’s a crook, Anakin,” Padmé was shaking her head worriedly at him.  “Ani, I know you seek the good in people, but he could be plotting against you!”

“No, believe me, I would know,” Anakin told her; he wasn’t upset, he knew why she was terrified, as her life had been threatened by a bounty hunter.  “I know I can trust him now.  Before, I had been suspicious of him, but we’re bonded and I can feel him through the Force; there is no ill intent in him to use it against me.”

Padmé’s dark eyes still gazed at him worryingly, “Ani…do you _love_ him?”

The question struck a nerve and Anakin looked away, unable to say it, “Jedi aren’t meant to have emotional attachment,” he replied in monotone, the bland words spoken out of habit of what had been preached at him by other Jedi Masters and the Jedi Council.

“Anakin,” Padmé murmured, taking his hand again, “I’m not the Order, I am your friend.”

Anakin shifted uncomfortably, “Padmé, you have to understand that where I was raised and taught, emotional attachment is forbidden…I’ve already done something that is against the Code, I can’t keep adding to the broken rules.”

“How so?” Padmé inquired him. 

“You really want to know,” Anakin smiled sheepishly, he felt her squeeze his fingers lightly.  “It’s embarrassing…”

Padmé saw the way how he looked away shyly, his face became red again and looked at him curiously, “What is it?”

“We…uh,” Anakin trailed off, still averting his gaze from her curious stare.

_Oh._

Padmé brought a hand to her mouth, but she was smiling impishly, “Ani!” she giggled.

Anakin pulled his hand away and he sulked, “It’s not funny…”

“No, but _wow_ , he must have been _something_ for you to—”

“Padmé!” Anakin cut her off, standing to move to one of her large windows and glared down at some of the shorter buildings.

“Anakin, I meant nothing by it, you know that,” Padmé said softly, moving to stand by him.  “Come on, let’s get ready for dinner, I did promise you food and we don’t have to talk about Ben anymore.”

Anakin’s shoulders relaxed somewhat and he looked at her, “His name isn’t Ben.”

“Full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?” Padmé asked wryly.  She giggled at his huffy tone, “Come on, let’s go.”

Even though he was still embarrassed by it, Anakin allowed her to guide him into the dining room, where she sat him in a cushy chair and she sat to his right, and started to prattle off about her day, Anakin was happy with the change of subject, he would admit it felt nice to share his biggest secret.

Dinner passed easily, Padmé had told him that he could stay in the guest bedroom, as it was late, they had stayed up pretty late, watching some new and shifting to Holovids that entertained them for a while, until Anakin rose from the couch, bidding her a good night and promised to see her again soon.

“I’ll be fine,” Anakin told her.  “Besides, I have a few things that I want to work on tonight before I go to bed.”

“It’s already late, don’t make yourself sick by not getting any rest,” Padmé chided him.

“Jedi don’t get sick,” Anakin told her, smiling at her pout.  “But, I promise not to wear myself down.”

“Good, and do let me know about this infamous “ _Ben”_ or at least, let me meet him properly, I think I should know who stole the heart of my best friend,” Padmé winked at him.

“No promises,” Anakin told her and wished her a good night before leaving her apartment.  As he walked, he could feel that Obi-Wan’s end of their bond was muted, he must have been resting; even if he couldn’t feel him directly, his light presence was comforting and Anakin sent a soft wave of affection over.

The tram ride back was empty, and he didn’t feel as on edge tonight, perhaps all he needed was a good meal and a good chat with his friend to recover how he had been feeling lately.  Anakin rolled his shoulders as he headed back up the stairs of the Temple, he stopped at the top of the stairs, feeling the hair on the back of his neck raise slightly; he felt like he was being watched.

Anakin glanced around his surroundings and looked over to the Jedi guards, who stood silent as ever, but they didn’t look ruffled in any way.  He shrugged to himself and proceeded his way back inside and headed towards his quarters, he did cross through the section where Ahsoka was resting and he told himself that he’d catch up with her, perhaps they’d do some light sparring and have lunch together.

As he got ready for bed and lied down, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, as if there was something amiss, even when Anakin reached out to the Force, he could feel that even it felt tense, tightly drawn, trembling slightly as if bracing itself for something.

Anakin wanted to reach out to Obi-Wan, but he decided against it, he didn’t have to lean on the former Jedi for everything, he could still fight and defend for himself.  Anakin rolled over to face the wall and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, as the on-edge feeling wasn’t fading, but he was too tired to get up and go tinker, so Anakin spent the remaining night between awake and an uneasy doze.

He could only hope that it was a passing feeling.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yea, I'm not going to pretend that I fell off this fic for a year....
> 
> I'm not super into Star Wars like I used to be, but I'll chicken peck for a new chapter. I literally just finished typing this chapter this morning.....
> 
> I'm so sorry to those of you who really like this fic. I'll try my hardest to try to get a chapter posted when I can, I'm currently working on two other fics right now that are unrelated to Star Wars.
> 
> Thank you to all of you who left super kind comments! I really appreciated it and was surprised that people were still reading this! <3

The sun was bright against Anakin’s closed eyes and he groggily pulled up his blankets to shield his face; he hadn’t slept throughout the night at all, and judging by the gentle, worried prodding, Obi-Wan must know his emotional state.

His comm chirped only moments later and Anakin groaned, debating to just ignore it, but he slowly dragged himself out of bed and he answered it, Obi-Wan’s form showed itself to him only moments later.

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan called out to him, his tone was clearly worried, which even if Anakin hadn’t picked that up, the concerned frown on his face would have been another giveaway.

“Hmm, sorry?  I didn’t sleep well last night,” Anakin murmured, his eyes burned and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

Obi-Wan’s worry was still clear on his face, “Was it the Council?”

“No…they seemed to believe what I told them, and I was allowed to keep your lightsaber,” Anakin informed him.  He tiredly yawned, “Dunno why I’m like this, just had an uneasy feeling last night and it kept me awake, but I’ll catch up on rest, I have a couple days off.”

“You could have woken me up, dear,” Obi-Wan reminded him.  “But, I am pleased that the Council are not going to harp you.”

“No, I’m fine, and I’m glad that they didn’t press any further,” Anakin replied.  He lied back down, placing the comm on the pillow and he rested his head on his folded arms to look up at Obi-Wan, “Are you going to busy today?”

Obi-Wan gave a timid nod, “I was requested of, but if you need me, I can drop it.”

“It’s not an assassination job, is it?” Anakin asked, narrowing his eyes a little.

“No,” Obi-Wan chuckled.

“Then I’ll be fine,” Anakin shrugged slightly.  “I plan on spending the day with Ahsoka, catch up with her and whatnot.  I spent the evening with Padmé, she…might know a little about us.”

“Oh?” Obi-Wan questioned.

“Should I have not done that?” Anakin asked worriedly.

“I do not mind, don’t worry,” Obi-Wan smiled to him.  “She may not remember me, as she had been young as well when we first met.”

Anakin nodded at that, “She’s also been under a lot of stress for the last few years, I would be surprised if she did, as she barely remembered me when we had met again a few years later.”

“Unfortunate how she’s so young and dealing with so much,” Obi-Wan murmured, stroking his beard thoughtfully, a distant look in his eyes.  “A shame that all of you are so young and having to deal with the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“We’re not that young anymore,” Anakin objected.  “That’s why…I want to remain in the Order, at least until the last Sith Lord is brought down and some reconstruction is happening,” he added more softly.  “Ahsoka is young, very young, I don’t want her to have to deal with the mistakes that my generation couldn’t bring down, I don’t want it to fall onto her shoulders.”

“I can respect that,” Obi-Wan nodded to him.  “I just want you to be all right in the long run.”

“I won’t fall over and die, Obi-Wan, besides, you wouldn’t let me,” Anakin smiled to him. 

“No, I wouldn’t,” Obi-Wan agreed.  “I would not want the Jedi to have another threat on their hands for their failure to make sure that you survived.”

“You’re being dramatic,” Anakin teased.  He let out a gentle sigh and a presence of a touch ran down his back soothingly, his signature was cradled, and his eyes felt heavy, “You’re cheating,” he murmured mostly into his pillow.

“It’s not when you’re cheating yourself of sleep, Ani,” Obi-Wan countered.  “Sleep, at least for a little while, I don’t want you suffering from exhaustion when your break is up.”

Anakin mumbled incoherently, he vaguely heard Obi-Wan’s chuckle and soon everything faded into the background and he was sound asleep with the former Jedi’s signature circled around him like a protective dragon.

Ahsoka had just finished sparring with one of her peers.  She heard them call break and she bowed to her and the slightly younger padawan mimicked her.  Ahsoka took a small towel and dabbed at her face lightly before taking it over to a laundry bin and dropped it into the chute and then wandered off towards the cafeteria, it was nearly 2 in the afternoon, she hadn’t eaten any breakfast, despite waking up early, she wanted to have breakfast with Anakin, but she could feel that her former Master was restless for a while before settling into a deep sleep.

She missed him terribly and thinking about their former training bond that was growing weaker by the day made her almost burst into sorrowful cries that she kept locked up and pushed to the furthest part of her brain.

It had almost been a full week without any communication between them, she had been off planet, and Anakin had been assigned to a scouting mission that took him away for three days and they hadn’t run into each other yet; Ahsoka was getting anxious and just wanted to burst into his quarters and train or chat with him for the rest of the day.

Ahsoka mindlessly picked out a couple sandwiches, two fruit cups, and water pouches before she stood in the middle of the cafeteria, blinking down at her tray, Master Plo didn’t eat meat, she didn’t really have any close friends to share this food with, so she squared up her shoulders and marched to Anakin’s quarters, where she had to press out and feel for Anakin, his signature was extremely dormant, like he was hiding himself, but even that was hard to do unconscious.  She could vaguely feel out another presence, it wasn’t threatening, it was wrapped around her former master’s signature and she focused her attention on it, trying to figure out who it was, but anytime she got close, the signature faded and she lost contact.

She didn’t realize how long she had been standing there at the door until it swished opened and a bed-rumpled Anakin stood before her.

“Ahsoka?” Anakin questioned her sleepily, as he stood against the door frame, his wild, wavy hair was ruffled, and a few curly bang pieces fell in his face that he swiped away from his face.  He squinted and looked down the hall and then looked back to Ahsoka, “Dinner already?” he asked, looking at the two trays in her hands.

“Yea,” Ahsoka responded, she studied him carefully.  “How are you?  I haven’t heard from you in a while,” she said and then thanked him when he took the trays from her and nodded for her to come inside.

Anakin sighed softly as he sat them on the kitchen table, “The same, nothing new,” he said this as he felt Obi-Wan grumbling softly and he turned his head away to hide the amused expression on his face, lest Ahsoka notice and question him.

“Same here,” Ahsoka murmured and sat down at the table and mindlessly poked at the fresh fruit with a fork that was on the tray.  She looked up at Anakin and saw that her former mentor was not looking worse for wear, she could only feel that he was content for the time being.

Anakin gave her a look over, and was at least happy that she didn’t seem lacking in color and she didn’t seem terribly distressed.  He sat across from her, he looked at the still warm tea and he took the mug into his hands, “Thank you for bringing this, any particular reason why?  Not that I mind, I was curious how you were doing.”

“Force of habit,” Ahsoka confessed, her cheeks reddened slightly as she bashfully looked down at her tray. She finally picked at a piece of fruit and brought it to her mouth as Anakin hummed thoughtfully at her answer.  “Any news on that bounty hunter you were asked to follow?”

Anakin raised an eyebrow at her, “How did you know?”

“Nothing is very secret around here,” Ahsoka shrugged to him.

 _Hmm, how wrong she is._   Anakin thought and glumly looked at food; he could feel Obi-Wan prodding at him curiously and Anakin shook his head, ignoring Ahsoka’s worried look.  “Nothing exciting, I did encounter him and that was it.”

Ahsoka looked almost shocked at the lack of story that Anakin gave, “Nothing flashy?” she inquired.  “I figured you had fought him until the next sunrise!”

Anakin laughed when she continued to look surprised, “It was nothing, we had a go and that was it.”

Ahsoka didn’t press it, as she could tell that Anakin wasn’t willing to share any more of his encounter, “Have they kept you busy?”

“They allowed me a few days of rest,” Anakin told her.  “Believe it or not, I’m going to take complete advantage of this leave.”

“No tinkering?” Ahsoka raised her eyebrow in disbelief, she eyed her former mentor skeptically.

“Well…R2 might need a slight tune-up,” Anakin drawled and he let a small grin slip onto his face when Ahsoka laughed at his response; they both knew that R2 would have a hiss fit and would let them know how pissed he was about it.

A satisfied smile graced Ahsoka’s face to see the look of contentment on her former mentor’s face, “I’m glad that you’re doing well.”

Anakin stopped unwrapped his sandwich and tilted his head in question.

“I know you,” Ahsoka blushed at the emotional swirl she felt in her heart; she and Anakin didn’t try to talk about feelings much, but she knew he had a big heart and worried over her constantly, praised her more than necessary, while keeping firm with her as well, he watched over her progress in training and her physical wellness almost like a parent.  She couldn’t remember her family clearly, only in bits and pieces, but had she been raised by them, she knows she would have felt that same affection and protectiveness with them as she did with Anakin.

“Has Master Plo been treating you well?” Anakin asked her.  He trusted the older mentor, he was probably the only other Jedi Anakin would trust to train Ahsoka, Master Plo had a carrying aura about him that Anakin thought was comforting; he wasn’t too strict and unemotional like the other Jedi in the Temple.

Ahsoka nodded, “Yes, he’s been very patient with the training shift, he did ask about your well-being when you had returned to the Temple.”

“Us three will have to train together some day to prove that I am well, as it seems to be a reoccurring question among everyone throughout the Temple,” Anakin sighed.  He ran a hand through his unruly hair and heard Ahsoka giggle at his wild hair, “Oh, shush.”

“You look like a startled Loth-cat,” she mused.  She finished off her fruit when Anakin started to sip on the fruit juice from one of the drinks Ahsoka picked up with their lunch, she watched him eat, she saw him finish the crusts too and she made sure to finish her own too, as she faintly recalled hearing about Anakin’s life before coming as a Jedi; she always noticed that Anakin treasured each meal like it was going to be his last, and it still made her sad that her former master still had fears like that.

They finished up lunch after that, talking between bites, Ahsoka sharing her journey of training with Master Plo, and Anakin nodding along with what she was saying, he did try to keep the sting of jealousy and sadness under wraps, as it hadn’t been Ahsoka’s choice to be reassigned to a different mentor, but he wished she had stayed bitter a while longer like she had at the start.

 _She’s growing up and thinking logically, you should be proud of her._   Anakin chided himself.  Ahsoka was still young, but it had been a couple years, their mentor and Padawan bond was still there, it wasn’t as strong as it had been before and their bond would fade out if one of them was on a different planet.

Ahsoka stacked their trays and then the plates, “I can take these back down.”

“I’ll go with you,” Anakin said.  He got up and went to his room to put on a fresh tunic and changed out of his sweatpants into his nicer leggings Obi-Wan had provided him.  He managed to work his hair down and into just the natural wavy mess it always was, before pulling on his boots and robes and walked back out to where Ahsoka was patiently waiting.

They left Anakin’s room and headed down the hall, immediately, Anakin felt a prickle of unsettlement and it was only his own; he felt like the other Jedi knew of his relationship with the bounty hunter and were judging him to be the next Jedi gone rogue.  He tried to bury the anxious feeling, so he would not worry Ahsoka, who didn’t react to Anakin’s sudden mood swing.

Ahsoka perked up when she saw Master Kit Fisto and Master Shaak Ti walking together towards her and Anakin, she bowed to them and greeted them warmly.

Anakin bowed hesitantly, he looked up and saw that Shaak Ti was giving him a calculative look and her dark eyes trained on him unblinkingly until Ahsoka called her attention that Master Plo had wanted to go over plans with her before her departure to Kamino to oversee the training process of the new groups.

“Of course, I will see Master Plo later today,” Shaak Ti nodded to Ahsoka, she then looked back to Anakin.  “Young Master Skywalker, you look like you have not gained any rest, but I suppose it has only been a day of your leave.”

“I don’t expect to get much rest,” Anakin confessed.  “I have to work on my droid and check on my squad.”

“Are the mechanics of that section unable to do so?” Kit Fisto asked him curiously.  “They have patched up my droid exceptionally well.”

Ahsoka smiled teasingly at Anakin, “R2 is quite particular on who fixes him.”

“R2 is also picky with me, my hand was numb for almost 2 hours because his shock was so bad,” Anakin grumbled. 

Ahsoka giggled at his small pout and she noticed that Shaak Ti was smiling gently at them, while Kit also had a content look on his face as well; she liked these two as well, they were serious about their work, but they always knew when they could relax and enjoy the company of padawans or younger Jedi Masters.

The older two Jedi said their farewells before continuing down the hall and Anakin and Ahsoka continued their walk to the cafeteria.  His former Padawan gave their dirtied dishes to one of the cleaning droids and thanked them, which she got a happy beeping in response.

Ahsoka’s Comm pinged and she glanced at it with a sigh, “I’m sorry, Master, but I forgot I was going to help train the Younglings.”

“You seem so upset with that, I thought you liked helping out with them,” Anakin commented.  He looked over her sad expression, “Ahsoka?”

“They…see me differently after my apprenticeship shifted from you to Master Plo,” Ahsoka admitted softly, hugging herself, and kept her gaze averted to the floor under their boots.

Anakin felt immense guilt to see his Padawan so distraught and he placed his hands on her small shoulders, “Ahsoka, please tell me if anyone is bothering you about this,” he said, he saw her nod timidly and he guided her to sit down on a nearby bench and asked her to look at him, his heart felt like it was going to shrivel from the sad look in her bright blue eyes.  He made himself take a calming breath before speaking her, “You shifting to Master Plo to train under him is not your fault, if anyone _ever_ suggests or even hints that is somehow is your fault, report them to me, I will deal with them, Younglings in training and even younger Padawans should not be spreading hurtful gossip, especially when they don’t even know the story.”

“But why did the Higher Council move me to Master Plo?” Ahsoka asked him, she looked genuinely lost.  “I was never given details, you didn’t say much about it when you came back from seeing them.”

Anakin stopped a grimace, he had been intercepted by Obi-Wan, but even after that, he left Mace behind at the gathering room the following morning just as angry as he had been that night when Obi-Wan stopped him from confronting them.  He couldn’t tell Ahsoka that that their bond had been broken just because Obi-Wan had an eye on Anakin and had bonded their signatures together, Ahsoka would be furious for something so little to have her train under a new Jedi Master.

It had to have run deeper than that, Anakin figured, he could sense the unease throughout the Temple when it regarded Obi-Wan, the Council had fears, Anakin could feel it, he was far more in touch with the Force than Grand Master Yoda, the Force never lied to him, it always showed him how people really felt.

He just didn’t know what they were speculating and it annoyed him to no end, Anakin may have been part of Jedi Council, but he still felt like an outcast most days, their secrets that they withheld circled him like a suffocating ooze and it was only worse now than it was before.

“I wish I knew,” Anakin sighed; he wished that he knew the deeper intention.  Even if Obi-Wan was now considered a traitor by the Code, it still didn’t add enough concerns up to revoke his and Ahsoka’s mentor and student bond, as Anakin had once been a target for an assassin who had been well known and a dangerous threat, but even then, Ahsoka had been right by his side to track down the assassin and even had a faceoff with him.

It didn’t make any sense, but he knew that Mace nor Yoda would give him the answers he desired and he doubt that Obi-Wan knew what they were planning either, as it was obvious that Obi-Wan steered clear of anything relating to Jedi business.

He was tired of being in the dark, but Anakin supposed he could dawdle just a little longer in the obliviousness of it, if it meant that he could still see his former padawan and make sure that she’s doing well.

“C’mon, I’ll walk you to the class you’re helping,” Anakin said, offering his hand to Ahsoka to help her stand up.

The small smile on Ahsoka’s face was enough relief that Anakin would remain on the chess board to move willingly across the platforms until he found his moment to strike on his own terms.

He’d win this game by himself.


End file.
